‘Free Gifts: Capitalism and the Politics of Nature’ by Alyssa Battistoni reviewed by Agustín Aranco Bagnasco (opens in new tab)

Why do some things have value while others do not? Despite the usefulness of clean air or a stable climate for the survival of every living being on the planet, nonhuman nature lacks a corresponding price. Being indispensable, it remains free. This thesis concerning the ‘persistent failure to value nonhuman nature’ (3), developed by Alyssa Battistoni in Free Gifts: Capitalism and the Politics of Nature, allows us to assess the ecological crisis we are currently facing not as a marginal market...