Ecology and Economy

Ecology and economy are two different studies that have merged together in recent years. This is because human lifestyle is having an increasingly negative impact on the surrounding environment. There has been a shift in recent years from technologies that are wasteful of resources toward technologies that use resources more efficiently and reduce pollution, a shift from conventional economy to sustainable economy. We are living beings on a planet Earth. Humans are living beings who depends on the nature. People use energy and natural resources; everything we have come from natural resources. Our economy depends on what and how much we produce, how much we consume, but people are not only consumers, but are also citizens. This means that they not only buy products and services, but they also have the ability to respond to ethical problems and considerations, such as environmental problems. We now face the worst global environmental problems: global warming, air pollution, lack of fresh water, degradation of oceans and forests. Many more environmental problems we are experiencing because the human economy continues to expend, the ecosystem on which it depends does not. People use natural resources and return them to the ecosystem as waste. In order for humans to thrive for years to come, it is important that we preserve the current environment in which we live. We have to find way how to live in a harmony with the rest of the nature. In “understanding the Place of Humans in Nature” James C. Williams says: “We are all part of nature, and our physical beings are comprised of many of the same elements and rhythms that make up the world around us.” Ancient people saw themselves connected with nature, but “the gulf between the ancient and modern worlds is enormous.” Today people often see themselves separate from nature. We face collective social and ecological crisis because the human species has become increasingly alienated from community and nature. Economic

References: Jacobs, Jane. “Damn, Another Ecologist.”The Nature of Economies.  "Understanding the Place of Humans in Nature." From The Illusory Boundary: Environment and Technology in History." Martin Reuss and Stephen H. Cutcliffe, Eds. Charlotteville. U of VIrginia P. 2010. http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/05/29/491271/how-urban-farming-can-transform-our-cities-and-our-agricultural-system/ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HR-YrD_KB0M http://www.ted.com/talks/janine_benyus_biomimicry_in_action.html