Marxism and Ecological Economics: Toward a Red and Green Political Economy (Historical Materialism Book)

This Book Undertakes The First General Assessment Of Ecological Economics From A Marxist Point Of View, And Shows How Marxist Political Economy Can Make A Substantial Contribution To Ecological Economics. The Analysis Is Developed In Terms Of Four Basic Issues: (1) Nature And Economic Value; (2) The Treatment Of Nature As Capital; (3) The Significance Of The Entropy Law For Economic Systems; (4) The Concept Of Sustainable Development. In Each Case, It Is Shown That Marxism Can Help Ecological Economics Fulfill Its Commitments To Multi-disciplinarity, Methodological Pluralism, And Historical Openness. In This Way, A Foundation Is Constructed For A Substantive Dialogue Between Marxists And Ecological Economists.--jacket. 1. The Value Problem In Ecological Economics : Lessons From The Physiocrats And Marx -- 2. Values In Ecological Value Analysis : What Should We Be Learning From Contingent Valuation Studies? -- 3. Natural Capital In Ecological Economics -- 4. Marxism And The Resistance To Natural Capital -- 5. Entropy In Ecological Economics : A Marxist Intervention -- 6. Energy, Entropy And Classical Marxism : Debunking The Podolinsky Myth -- 7. Power Inequality And The Environment -- 8. Sraffian Models Of Ecological Conflict And Crisis -- 9. Towards A Marxist Approach To Ecological Conflicts And Crises -- 10. Marxism, Ecological Economics, And Sustainable Human Development. By Paul Burkett. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [333]-349) And Index. This book initiates a dialogue between Marxism and ecological economics. It shows how Marxism can help ecological economics fulfill its commitments to methodological pluralism, inter-disciplinarity, and openness to new visions of structural economic change that confront the current biospheric crisis.