▁in ▁fact ▁they ▁are ▁ent rop ic ▁non - re produ cible ▁goods . ▁However , ▁Marx ▁himself ▁never ▁denied ▁this ; ▁he ▁was ▁merely ▁referring ▁to ▁the ▁b our ge ois ▁valu ation ▁scheme , ▁origin ating ▁from ▁commercial ▁trade , ▁double - entry ▁book keep ing , ▁private ▁property ▁theory ▁and ▁the ▁theory ▁of ▁prices . ▁Pre cis ely ▁because ▁natural ▁resources ▁were ▁for ▁a ▁long ▁time ▁either ▁non - re produ cible ▁or ▁freely ▁available ▁goods ▁( i . e . ▁not ▁reprodu cible ▁comm od ities ) ▁the ▁whole ▁t endency ▁in ▁the ▁market ▁economy ▁was ▁for ▁those ▁resources ▁to ▁be ▁pl under ed ▁for ▁private ▁gain , ▁rather ▁than ▁econom ized ▁appropri ately . ▁Their ▁" value " ▁became ▁apparent ▁only ▁when ▁they ▁became ▁scar ce . ▁ ▁E colog ists ▁also ▁note ▁that ▁Marx ist ▁theories ▁of ▁value ▁caused ▁large - scale ▁environmental ▁problems ▁in ▁the ▁industrial ization ▁of ▁the ▁Soviet ▁Union , ▁China ▁and ▁other ▁countries ▁ruled ▁by ▁commun ist ▁parties ; ▁thus , ▁whether ▁or ▁not ▁an ▁economy ▁is ▁a ▁market ▁economy ▁or ▁a ▁state ▁economy ▁does ▁not ▁seem ▁to ▁make ▁much ▁difference , ▁the ▁problem ▁is ▁rather ▁with ▁the ▁values ▁of ▁human ▁cult ures ▁themselves ▁or ▁with ▁industrial ization ▁processes ▁as ▁such . ▁This ▁more ▁complex ▁debate ▁cannot ▁be ▁de alt ▁with ▁in ▁this ▁article ; ▁it ▁may ▁be ▁noted ▁only ▁that ▁newly ▁industrial izing ▁countries ▁to ▁a ▁large ▁extent ▁im itated ▁technical ▁methods ▁used ▁in ▁industrial ized ▁countries , ▁and ▁that ▁Marx ▁can