Final answer:
The two examples of the tragedy of the commons are d. overgrazing of sheep and overfishing, both of which highlight the exploitation of shared resources that leads to depletion due to lack of incentives to conserve.
Step-by-step explanation:
The "tragedy of the commons" refers to a situation where individuals act in their self-interest and deplete shared resources, leading to the resource's eventual depletion and ruin for the entire community. Among the options provided, the two examples that best illustrate the tragedy of the commons are overgrazing of sheep and overfishing. These activities represent a direct exploitation of shared resources, which result in their degradation due to the lack of individual accountability and incentives to conserve the resource for the long term. Global climate change is another pressing example where burning fossil fuels emits greenhouse gases into the atmosphere (a common resource), leading to global warming and climate disruptions, even though the immediate benefits are valued by individual countries.
Examples of Tragedy of the Commons
- Overgrazing of sheep leads to land degradation.
- Overfishing depletes fish populations in oceans.
- Unregulated emissions contribute to global climate change.
Economist Elinor Ostrom explored alternatives to this tragedy by showing that communities can manage shared resources effectively through communication and cooperation without strict top-down regulations.