Photo: Alaska National Wildlife Refuge. Copyright 2004 Delena Norris-Tull
The Interrelationship of Economics and Ecology
In his book, The Eco Principle: Ecology & Economics in Symbiosis, Arthur Dahl explains, “An eco… is defined as any natural or man-made functional system with internal integrity and distinct features and behavior enclosed within clear boundaries. This general definition will apply equally to an organism, an ecosystem, a machine, a town, a nation, the Earth, or a star. It can also be applied equally to many human institutions” (Dahl, 1996, p. 47).
“In exercising our responsibility for management, we must be able to integrate and interrelate all parts of the system. Our present problems are largely the result of the narrow partial approaches to management represented by present-day economics. We must therefore begin to redesign, renew and integrate the information and institutional systems necessary for the management of the enormously complex eco we call human civilization” (Dahl, 1996, p. 59-60).
“The theory of ecos is an extension of systems theory as it has been developed over several decades. Others have also used this approach to understand the workings of natural and human systems. What is added here is the emphasis on information storage and flow as the key factor in understanding system functioning, and the evolutionary drive to use energy flow in the system to increase information content, structure and efficiency. It is this information dimension that helps to bridge our understanding of natural and human social ecos, as well as to incorporate the more abstract cultural, moral and spiritual dimensions of human systems into the theoretical framework” (Dahl, 1996, p. 56).
“Economy and ecology, words for two of the fundamental concepts of modern society, share the same Greek root, oikos, meaning ‘house’ or ‘habitat.’ Economy refers to how to manage our house, and ecology how to know or understand it. This unity of word roots also reflects an underlying unity of purpose and function that should link ecology and economy. However, in practice, each discipline lives largely in a separate world, speaking a different language, applying different principles, starting from very different underlying assumptions, and reflecting often conflicting paradigms. The chasm between economics and ecology is a symptom of the malfunctioning of modern society which threatens our very future. Each discipline is grappling with difficult and apparently unmanageable problems within its own framework.
“On the economic side, the repeated cycles of boom and recession, the instabilities in international economic relations, and the resulting crises that have shaken nations and whole regions, show our imperfect understanding and management of economic systems…
“Ecology raises another set of issues through the environment movement and the scientific work exposing such problems as the health effects of pollution, damage to the ozone layer, and the greenhouse effect which threatens to cause global warming. Human activities have finally reached the scale where they are having an impact on the whole planet. For the first time, we are running into limits from which we cannot escape just by moving on to some new frontier…
“Sustainable development requires the integration of economics and ecology. Yet how is this possible when the two fields are so fundamentally different? Most economics practitioners are not prepared to stand back and question the frameworks, assumptions and beliefs on which their careers and whole lives have been built... This book [The EcoPrinciple] is an attempt to bridge the gap between ecology and economics. For economists and those attached to the Western free-market model of development, it proposes a larger framework within which economics needs to evolve and adapt. For ecologists and environmentalists, it tries to link economic realities with the scientific framework of ecology and the approaches of systems analysis” (Dahl, 1996, p. 1-3).
The mandate of the UN Commission on Sustainable Development, first established in 1992, includes the following Plan of Implementation:
· Renewed emphasis on integration of the three dimensions of sustainable development in a balanced way
· Focus on reviewing and monitoring progress in the implementation through a broad exchange of views and experiences, best practice and lessons learned
· Enhanced linkages between global, regional and national endeavors
· Integrated process that enhances coherence between the implementation of Agenda 21, initiatives and partnerships
· Greater involvement at the regional level
· Opportunity to look at new challenges and opportunities in the context of implementation
· Innovative methods of work
· Broader participation of all stakeholders, particularly UN agencies/international financial institutions and the Major Groups
· Greater consideration to scientific contributions
· Contributions of educators
· Focus on a limited number of issues
· Negotiations once every two years
Reference:
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The Interrelationship of Economics and Ecology
In his book, The Eco Principle: Ecology & Economics in Symbiosis, Arthur Dahl explains, “An eco… is defined as any natural or man-made functional system with internal integrity and distinct features and behavior enclosed within clear boundaries. This general definition will apply equally to an organism, an ecosystem, a machine, a town, a nation, the Earth, or a star. It can also be applied equally to many human institutions” (Dahl, 1996, p. 47).
“In exercising our responsibility for management, we must be able to integrate and interrelate all parts of the system. Our present problems are largely the result of the narrow partial approaches to management represented by present-day economics. We must therefore begin to redesign, renew and integrate the information and institutional systems necessary for the management of the enormously complex eco we call human civilization” (Dahl, 1996, p. 59-60).
“The theory of ecos is an extension of systems theory as it has been developed over several decades. Others have also used this approach to understand the workings of natural and human systems. What is added here is the emphasis on information storage and flow as the key factor in understanding system functioning, and the evolutionary drive to use energy flow in the system to increase information content, structure and efficiency. It is this information dimension that helps to bridge our understanding of natural and human social ecos, as well as to incorporate the more abstract cultural, moral and spiritual dimensions of human systems into the theoretical framework” (Dahl, 1996, p. 56).
“Economy and ecology, words for two of the fundamental concepts of modern society, share the same Greek root, oikos, meaning ‘house’ or ‘habitat.’ Economy refers to how to manage our house, and ecology how to know or understand it. This unity of word roots also reflects an underlying unity of purpose and function that should link ecology and economy. However, in practice, each discipline lives largely in a separate world, speaking a different language, applying different principles, starting from very different underlying assumptions, and reflecting often conflicting paradigms. The chasm between economics and ecology is a symptom of the malfunctioning of modern society which threatens our very future. Each discipline is grappling with difficult and apparently unmanageable problems within its own framework.
“On the economic side, the repeated cycles of boom and recession, the instabilities in international economic relations, and the resulting crises that have shaken nations and whole regions, show our imperfect understanding and management of economic systems…
“Ecology raises another set of issues through the environment movement and the scientific work exposing such problems as the health effects of pollution, damage to the ozone layer, and the greenhouse effect which threatens to cause global warming. Human activities have finally reached the scale where they are having an impact on the whole planet. For the first time, we are running into limits from which we cannot escape just by moving on to some new frontier…
“Sustainable development requires the integration of economics and ecology. Yet how is this possible when the two fields are so fundamentally different? Most economics practitioners are not prepared to stand back and question the frameworks, assumptions and beliefs on which their careers and whole lives have been built... This book [The EcoPrinciple] is an attempt to bridge the gap between ecology and economics. For economists and those attached to the Western free-market model of development, it proposes a larger framework within which economics needs to evolve and adapt. For ecologists and environmentalists, it tries to link economic realities with the scientific framework of ecology and the approaches of systems analysis” (Dahl, 1996, p. 1-3).
The mandate of the UN Commission on Sustainable Development, first established in 1992, includes the following Plan of Implementation:
· Renewed emphasis on integration of the three dimensions of sustainable development in a balanced way
· Focus on reviewing and monitoring progress in the implementation through a broad exchange of views and experiences, best practice and lessons learned
· Enhanced linkages between global, regional and national endeavors
· Integrated process that enhances coherence between the implementation of Agenda 21, initiatives and partnerships
· Greater involvement at the regional level
· Opportunity to look at new challenges and opportunities in the context of implementation
· Innovative methods of work
· Broader participation of all stakeholders, particularly UN agencies/international financial institutions and the Major Groups
· Greater consideration to scientific contributions
· Contributions of educators
· Focus on a limited number of issues
· Negotiations once every two years
Reference:
- Dahl, A.L. (1996). The Eco Principle: Ecology and Economics in Symbiosis. Oxford: George Ronald Publisher.
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