The second contradiction of capitalism

The second contradiction of capitalism (SCC) is a foundational thesis of ecological Marxism and other radical, green traditions. It is among the earliest and most productive attempts to integrate political ecology and political economy. It has been debated, celebrated, rejected, misunderstood, and expanded in various ways. It posits, in short, that capitalism tends to destroy its own foundation via its socioecological impacts and their economic and political repercussions. Whether capitalism can collapse under this second contradiction remains an open question. Yet the SCC continues to offer a fertile ground for the larger project of theorizing capitalism’s crises of socioecological reproduction.