Introduction: what is ecological economics and why do we need it now more than ever

Ecological economics (EE) is a transdiscipline. While it is difficult to categorize ecological economics in the same way one would a normal academic discipline, it can be characterized in general by its goals, worldview, and methodology. The overarching goal is sustainable wellbeing of both humans and the rest of nature, with three broad sub-goals of sustainable scale, fair distribution, and efficient allocation of resources. The worldview includes an interdependent, co-evolving, complex whole system perspective of economies embedded in societies embedded in the rest of nature. The methodology emphasizes intelligent pluralism and integration across disciplines, rather than territorial disciplinary differentiation, and an emphasis on problem-solving through integration and synthesis. These characteristics make ecological economics applicable to some of the major problems facing human-dominated ecosystems today, and especially to the problem of improving humanity’s wellbeing while assuring a mutually enhancing relationship with all life into the indefinite future.