An Ecosystem Approach to Ecological Economics Ashwani Vasishth

Some Names to Keep In Mind Kenneth Boulding Nicholas Georgescu-Roegen Herman Daly Robert Costanza

Setting the Frame Sustainability as Context

Sustainable Development… …is a form of development that meets the needs of the present without curtailing the ability of the future to meet its own needs - a la the Brundtland Commission

Sustainable Decision Making

Getting At An Ecological Economics Conceptual Structures

Factors of Production MarxSustainability Ecological Economics  Land  Ecology  Natural Capital  Labor  Equity  Social Capital  Capital  Economy  Monetary Capital

Factors of Production MarxSustainability Ecological Economics  Land  Ecology  Natural Capital  Labor  Equity  Social Capital  Capital  Economy  Monetary Capital

Factors of Production MarxSustainability Ecological Economics  Land  Ecology  Natural Capital  Labor  Equity  Social Capital  Capital  Economy  Monetary Capital

Human Economy Nature Ecosphere Environmental Economics Ecological Economics

An Ecological Economics… Considers the world to be constituted by the flows of matter, energy and information Takes account of natural, social and monetary capital Considers temporal flows in terms of intergenerational equity Takes the ecosphere as the overarching context within which the human economy operates

From Empty World Economics…

…to Full World Economics

The Transition to An Ecological Economics…...is the transition from a “cowboy” economy to a “spaceship” economy - a la Kenneth Boulding

Taking An Ecological View Understanding the Ecosystem Approach

What does it mean to take an Ecosystem Approach? And why would we bother?

Descriptions Matter How we choose to make depictions of complex systems affects what we can see of context and consequence, and so affects outcomes Complex systems are best conceptualized as being arranged into nested levels of organization

Elements of An Ecosystem Approach Processes Boundaries Scales Purpose Perspective

Properties of An Ecosystem Approach Nested Assembly Scale-hierarchic Levels of Organization Rate-dependent Boundaries Purposive Descriptions Scale-dependent Structuring Functional Associations

An ecosystem approach based on nested scale-hierarchic process-function ecology offers the most effective basis for making robust descriptions under complexity

Nested Systems Bossel, H Assessing Viability and Sustainability: A Systems-Based Approach for Deriving Comprehensive Indicator Sets. Conservation Ecology, 5(2): 12.

Levels of Organization Allen, Timothy F.H. & Thomas W.l Hoekstra Toward A Unified Ecology. New York: Columbia University Press. p. 30

Two Concepts of Significance The Ecosphere and its Carrying Capacity

The Ecosphere… is constituted by bio-geo-chemical processes across nested levels of organization organized into scale hierarchic structures that must be viewed from multiple purposive perspectives and that can only be described at multiple spatial, temporal and organizational scales

Carrying Capacity… …is the ability of a system to support a particular intensity and magnitude of processes and functions I=P*A*T Impact ≈ Population * Affluence * Technology where affluence is a proxy for level of consumption and technology is a proxy for capacity to do harm or cause pollution

Ecologizing New Orleans Context as Frame

For Example, New Orleans…

Or, New Orleans…?

Then, Ecological Economics is… …the study of the ecosphere, considered to be constituted by the flows of matter, energy and information, taking account of natural, social and economic capital, occurring across multiple levels of organization, seen at functionally relevant temporal, spatial and organizational scales, using multiple purposive perspectives, all embedded within the context of planetary carrying capacity

Or, Differently…  Natural Capital  Social Capital  Monetary Capital Nested Systems The Ecosphere

Ashwani Vasishth (818)