ABSTRACT
In this chapter I consider the emergence of free market capitalism, its shortcomings and merits, and alternative economic systems. Capitalistic systems of money, credit, labor, and incorporation are products of sociocultural evolution. The environmental case against capitalism argues that it removes the consumer from a knowledge of the resource base and the labor of production, thus weakening our collective social conscience. It creates social relationships of exploitation, not cooperative reciprocity. Uneven regulation shunts problems of extraction, pollution, and labor to developing regions of the world. It rewards entrepreneurs and investors with the profits of production but does not hold them accountable for accompanying problems, like pollution and ecological stress; instead, these are complications that the public must bear. It demands constant economic growth from a finite resource base. Some economists refute these criticisms, arguing instead that capitalism is the best way to alleviate poverty, which in turn is the best path to environmental protection. Alternatives to capitalism, including the mixed economy, participatory economics, socialism, ecocentric economics, and sustainable development are presented.
