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The Capitalocene

The Capitalocene is an alternative argument to the Anthropocene; the Capitalocene explores the idea that our current historical era is dominated by capitalism and therefore, we are living in the Capitalocene era (Moore 2016). Cheap Nature is central to capitalism; it is the idea that nature is separate from human society. Nature is exploited at little or no cost, and this is done through; cheap labour, cheap energy, cheap food and cheap raw materials. (Moore, 2017b). Jason Moore, a leading scholar of the Capitalocene, suggests that capitalism began with the Dutch and English agricultural revolutions and Columbus’ invasion of the Americas in the 1400s (Moore, 2017a). For example, the colonisation of the Americas saw a divide between nature and humans amid mass exploitation, such as cheap labour from the use of slaves who worked to produce cheap food such as sugar (Moore, 2016).

Since this time, capitalism has become the global economic system, driven by exploitation, which has caused a considerable depletion of natural resources. Humans are consuming more resources than the Earth can regenerate, and the overconsumption of resources has contributed to the effects of global warming such as pollution and sea level rise (Richardson, 2019). The exhaustion of cheap nature may mean that we cannot sustain the capitalist system, as capitalism relies on growth to survive, therefore, this poses a challenge to capitalism and could see the end of the Capitalocene (Moore, 2016).

More, J. W. (2016). The Rise of Cheap Nature. In J. W. Moore (Author), Anthropocene or Capitalocene?: Nature, history, and the crisis of capitalism (pp. 78-115). Oakland, CA: PM Press.

Moore, J. W. (2017a). The Capitalocene, Part I: On the nature and origins of our ecological crisis. The Journal of Peasant Studies, 44(3), 594-630. doi:10.1080/03066150.2016.1235036.

Moore, J. W. (2017b). The Capitalocene Part II: Accumulation by appropriation and the centrality of unpaid work/energy. The Journal of Peasant Studies, 45(2), 237-279. doi:10.1080/03066150.2016.1272587.

Richardson, R. B. (2019, August 09). Resource depletion is a serious problem, but 'footprint' estimates don't tell us much about it. The Conversation. Retrieved August 30, 2020, from https://theconversation.com/resource-depletion-is-a-serious-problem-but-footprint-estimates-dont-tell-us-much-about-it-120065.