Tragedy of the commons of course. If there's rumour of a bog roll/petrol shortage, the rational thing to do is stock up, unless all can agree that they will only shop when they need some.
If everybody else is snapping up what there is, your worst option is to be the mug who stands aside and runs out.
This is also why instead of solving climate change, it's possible the human race will effectively make its own home planet uninhabitable and die out.
Nice little programme on the wireless yesterday contemplating this. Doesn't Bill Gates have a high voice?
www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0012s9z (Think with Pinker)
|