The "Tragedy of the Commons" is an economic theory that describes a situation where individuals, acting in their own self-interest, deplete shared resources. This occurs because each person benefits from using the resource, but the costs of overuse are distributed among all users. As a result, the resource becomes overexploited, leading to its eventual depletion. A classic example involves a shared pasture, where multiple farmers graze their livestock. Each farmer aims to maximize their own gain by adding more animals. However, if all farmers do this, the pasture becomes overgrazed, harming everyone and ultimately reducing the resource's availability for future use.