In a way, can the run amuck free market system and American consumption be applied to the tragedy of the commons?  Nonetheless, I believe this is an important quote from Garrett Hardin in his The Tragedy of the Commons:

Therein is the tragedy. Each man is locked into a system that compels him to increase his herd without limit in a world that is limited. Ruin is the destination toward which all men rush, each pursuing his own best interest in a society that believes in the freedom of the commons. Freedom in a commons brings ruin to all….

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