Corporations run wild because they are both given regulatory slack by legislators and are experiencing very high demand for their products across the globe, due mostly to population spikes and increasing economic mobility. Average people in India, Russia, and China can afford consumer electronics and home goods for pretty much the first time in history, and there are still people alive in those countries who lived through communist policies and endured famines, disease outbreaks, and poverty as a consequence. They see what Westerners have, and they want it, too! They definitely don't want to consider having *less*, they've had to struggle this whole time with not having enough money, food, or social credit.  To these groups of people who've survived for centuries with no money and few worldly possessions, consumerism is refreshing. 


The problem is now, that there's so many people that want so many things and potentially not enough resources around to make all that happen. It seems that either manufacturing and recycling processes will need to be completely overhauled to meet global demand, people need to reproduce less, or certain groups will (unfairly) be excluded from certain consumer markets. I guess my point is that it's a multifaceted issue. While yes, companies must be properly assessed, regulated, and taxed, to help mitigate the impending crises, every person does ultimately play a role in the outcome of both our species and many others. I fear we may be approaching our great filter, and I hope to be wrong.