Newswire Flip the Script
Ecological economics, in one line:
The economy is a subsystem of the living Earth—bounded by biophysical limits, not a free-floating money machine.
Why it matters:
- GDP can rise while ecosystems crash. Ecological economics centers wellbeing, equity, and resilience over raw output.
- It asks three questions in order: scale (stay within planetary boundaries), distribution (fair shares), allocation (efficient use once the first two are set).
Whole-systems link:
- Treats food–water–energy–health–finance as coupled systems with feedbacks, delays, and tipping points.
- Prices and policies must reflect real throughput of energy/matter and externalities (e.g., carbon budgets, polluter-pays, rights of nature).
- Designs for resilience: diversity, redundancy, circular flows—not brittle efficiency.
How it shows up:
- Metrics: Genuine Progress Indicator, inclusive wealth, doughnut “safe & just space.”
- Design: circular manufacturing, regenerative agriculture, community-owned energy.
- Governance: precautionary principle, participatory budgeting, caps with tradeable permits.
Bottom line:
Ecological economics + whole-systems thinking = economies that fit within planetary limits and deliver shared wellbeing—by design, not by accident.
