how is the tragedy of the commons handled when different nations share resources 
within individual countries governments at the local level can manage shared resources with clear boundaries at the international level rules regarding shared resources are difficult to enforce across jurisdictions when resources cannot be divided international law regarding shared resources is essentially voluntary according to the economist scott barrett at columbia university 6the bottom linethe tragedy of the commons occurs when individuals overconsume a resource at the expense of society when a common resource such as water or land is rivalrous in consumption non excludable scarce and a common pool resource the tragedy of the commons occurs a common resource is any resource that provides users with tangible benefits but to which nobody has a claim 