The Nature-Human Connection: A Fresh Economic Paradigm
The relationship between nature and humanity - the magnificent dance of their interdependence - inspires ecological economics. By using nature as a starting point, economics may evolve into an ecological science. While traditional economics seeks to comprehend society as a distinct entity, ecological economics emphasises the critical link between society and nature that has gone unnoticed since the start of modern times.
Over time, phenomena of nature have seen major changes. From times when nature was a heavenly, supreme force to times when it was a thing that people could control. Our relationship with it has evolved dramatically through time. These changes and our vision of the natural world have been greatly shaped and established by technology and innovation.
We shouldn't confuse technological and social growth. The definition of "development" cannot be technical change. Instead, we should examine the dynamic interplay between humans and environment and understand that even technologically advanced civilizations may not be "developed".
The concept of nature and humanity's involvement in it has shaped societies throughout history. Thousands years ago, humans realised they were apart from nature. The natural environment simply shaped early human societies, which established their identities via cultural rules. Nature—animals, topography, and resources—shaped early human cultures.
After agriculture and animal husbandry eras, humans began to dwell and exploit nature as a resource. Humans used religion to externalise nature in order to achieve their goals. Early civilizations such the Assyrians and Sumerians regarded nature was divinely controlled. Kings and pharaohs were considered divine mediators who could alter nature.
Despite ancient civilizations' environmental damage, Indian and Greek thinkers stressed animal and environmental care. Early Mesopotamia, Egypt, China, and the Indus Valley relied on agriculture. They understood natural resource management and developed efficient irrigation and flood control systems. These cultures valued nature in rituals and religion. Ancient Egyptians valued the Nile because regular floods were crucial to agricultural production. Despite these early ecological discoveries, demographic and social inequalities did not inspire an ecological worldview.
The Roman Empire utilised money to buy and sell products and utilised natural resources to make coins. This was the first time the economy's relationship with nature declined. As the ancient period ended, empires strengthened, emphasising control and dominion over nature.
Feudalism and natural knowledge rationalised private property. In the Middle Ages, feudalism valued land ownership and agriculture. Since their wealth and power came from the land, landowners wanted to manage their natural resources responsibly. Mediaeval society valued the commons, or community resource management. Population growth and resource demand caused environmental degradation. Biological disasters like the plague affected civilizations' production processes, but humans were unaware of their bond with nature.
A major shift in how we see the natural world began in the 1600s and 1700s with the birth of the Scientific Revolution. Natural science grew focused with understanding and using natural principles to develop humankind, and natural resources came to be seen as commodities to be utilised for human advantage. This mental change allowed for the emergence of capitalism and the Industrial Revolution.
Significant environmental decline due to human activities first appeared on the historical scene in the eighteenth century. Although industrial contamination was relatively low, the land itself was starting to symbolise nature. Adam Smith and David Ricardo, two classical economists, built their theories on the false premise that water and air were limitless supplies.
Industrialization expanded as nations adopted global free trade and liberal policies in the 19th century. Nations concentrated on food distribution rather than production, strengthening the economy-environment relationship. Global environmental degradation was enormous due to rising resource extraction and geopolitical conflicts.
State involvement in food production began in the mid-20th century, after focusing on food supply. Two major wars caused resource transfers and scarcity, symbolising capitalism's extremes, in the competition for resources and markets. During WWII, efficiency-boosting technologies and chemicals caused global pollution. Corporate overproduction and enough demand created a consumer society that caused long-term environmental damage as postwar state intervention economies flourished. Consumer culture and multinational corporations boosted natural resource exploitation in the 20th century. Pollution, deforestation, and climate change were becoming more obvious and urgent. In the late 20th century, sustainable development emerged to balance economic growth with environmental protection.
The 70s were when people started waking up to our relationship with the environment. That was the beginning of us realizing we needed to rethink how we interact with the natural world and find more sustainable ways of living that don't disrupt the balance.
Nowadays more and more, we understand that protecting the planet has to be a priority when making economic decisions. Things like green business practices and the circular economy have gotten popular as approaches that can help us use resources wisely without as much waste.
The way societies have viewed nature over time is pretty interesting. In the past it was more like nature was this spiritual, powerful thing people worshipped. Then as things modernized it felt like we started exploiting the environment just to make money.
If we want to make progress in fields like economics and develop systems that will still allow nature to thrive for future generations, we need to unpack this complicated dynamic between the environment and the economy. There's obviously a more balanced path that supports both, we just have to figure it out.
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