ABSTRACT
From an ecological point of view, one factor that is overlooked in the study of world system history is the dynamic-exploitative relationship between the process of accumulation and Nature. In an era of increasing global concern and awareness of the finite limits of natural resources, the growing realization of the contemporary losses in plant and animal species, and the continued susceptibility of the human species to climatological changes and diseases despite various scientific and technological advances, we cannot continue to direct our efforts on understanding world system history by focusing only on the dimension of the accumulation of ‘capital.’ In this chapter, I will proceed by emphasizing the necessity of including the continuous exploitative relationship with Nature in our attempts to discuss 5,000 years of world system history. I will suggest that the ceaseless accumulation of capital-which is seen as the motor force of the system-is self-defeating. Nature establishes limits on this process. The question is how does this dynamic relationship between capital accumulation, core-periphery relations, and Nature play out over the long term.
