Abstract
Ecological economics is a transdisciplinary effort to link the natural and social sciences broadly, and especially ecology and economics. Its goal is to develop a deeper scientific understanding of the complex linkages between humans and the rest of nature, and to use that understanding to develop policies that will lead to a world which is ecologically sustainable, has a fair distribution of resources (both between groups and generations of humans and between humans and other species), and efficiently allocate scarce resources including “natural” and “social” capital. This requires new approaches that are comprehensive, adaptive, integrative, multiscale, pluralistic, evolutionary, and which acknowledge the huge uncertainties involved.
Original language | English |
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Title of host publication | Encyclopedia of Ecology |
Editors | Sven Jorgensen, Brian Fath |
Place of Publication | Amsterdam |
Publisher | Elsevier |
Pages | 999-1006 |
Volume | 5 |
Edition | 1st |
ISBN (Print) | 9780444520333 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2008 |