Marx's reproduction schemes and the environment

Ecological economists have argued that Marx's reproduction schemes are self-contained circular flows that downgrade the importance of natural conditions. The present paper evaluates this criticism in light of both Marx's methodology and his response to Quesnay's tableau economique. It is shown that Marx follows Quesnay in clearly distinguishing monetary circular flows from material throughput, and that his schemes encapsulate the dependence of capitalist production on natural conditions as developed elsewhere in Capital. At the same time, the purpose of Marx's schemes is not to theorize environmental crises, but to set out the basic exchanges necessary for capitalist reproduction as a material and social class process. Marx's analyses of capitalist environmental crises are developed at other points in Capital. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.