Metabolic rift

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The term metabolic rift is the Marxist idea that the spread of the capitalist mode of production results in humans interacting less directly with their natural environment from which they derive their sustenance, which in turn leads to its exploitation. (Foster, 1999; Marx, [1867] 1976, [1863–65] 1981)

This lack of direct interaction with the environment leads reduces individuals' tendency to act in the best interest of their environment.

For example, "as family members take wage labor jobs, households may switch to purchasing (with their wages) some or all of the firewood they need, rather than gathering the wood themselves. This separation from the means and sources of wood collection may inure residents to the long-term consequences of deforestation by those supplying the wood." (Barber, 2003, p.89)