Rethinking Marxism in the face of the environmental crisis: Kohei Saito´s proposal

Abstract

In his book “Capital in the Age of the Anthropocene”, Kohei Saito examines the current environmental crisis from a Marxist perspective, arguing that capitalism is the root of this issue due to its focus on constant economic growth. Saito considers the ecological solutions proposed by the capitalist system to be insufficient and suggests and alternative model of degrowth communism. This solution is based on the analysis of Marx´s later works. The book is structured around the critique of capitalism from an ecological perspective, the reinterpretation of Marx´s texts in the context of the climate crisis, and the proposal of a new socio-economic paradigm that advocates for degrowth and an economy focused on the value of use.