Political ecology

Political ecology is a scientific field analyzing the impact of human organizations on the environment. It is a subset of ecology, which examines the relationships between various organisms and the environment. Though the term “political ecology” was first coined in the 1950s, it did not develop into an independent scientific field until the 1970s and 1980s.

Political ecologists study how development affects the environment. They are aware that the costs of environmental change are rarely distributed equally; those in advantaged areas tend to be less impacted by changes than those in disadvantaged areas. Political ecologists understand that widespread environmental or political change tends to widen gaps between the advantaged and the disadvantaged. They work with governments, ensuring that legislators understand the impact that new laws might have on both people and the environments that they inhabit.

The field often overlaps with other scientific disciplines, including urban ecology and political economy. Urban ecology is a field studying the relationships between plants, animals, and humans within cities. Political economy is the study of how different economic models function in the real world and affect the lives of those living within them.

Background

Political ecology is a branch of the broader field of ecology. Ecology refers to the study of relationships between various organisms or habitats. These studies can range from a microscale, such as the relationships between types of bacteria in a fish tank, to the macro scale, such as the interactions between biomes on a continent. For this reason, many ecologists choose to specialize in a particular branch of the field.

Common ecological specializations include marine ecology, vegetation ecology, and statistical ecology. Ecologists who study a specific subset of the environment may be able to use their specialized knowledge to make unique observations. For example, in the 1960s, marine ecologists correctly identified the two leading pollutants in US streams and lakes: phosphorous and nitrogen. The presence of these pollutants in water could be linked to the improper disposal of fertilizers and detergents. Identifying these pollutants allowed communities to better combat such pollution, improving the health of bodies of water.

Ecology also plays an important role in the protection of endangered species and the management of invasive species. In many cases, when new interspecies relationships are introduced into an existing ecosystem, the changes can have widespread negative effects. For example, a newly introduced species might outcompete an existing species for the same food source, causing the populations of native species to decline. By studying these relationships, ecologists have been able to help preserve endangered species of plants and animals.

Ecological research has also played an important role in industries that interact with the natural environment. For example, studying the relationships between predators and prey has enabled farmers to utilize natural methods of pest control, such as intentionally increasing the local numbers of natural predators of insects that threaten crops. This reduces the amount of pesticides that must be used on food. It has also allowed scientists to link overfishing to the decline in oceanic fish populations and identify how governments might work with businesses to safeguard fish populations.

Overview

Political ecology analyzes the means by which human organizations interact with their environments and the effects of such interactions. The field overlaps with many other scientific disciplines, including sociology, geography, forestry, anthropology, and political history. The term was first used by the French philosopher and economist Bertrand de Jouvenel in 1957, but political ecology did not develop into an independent scientific discipline until the 1970s and 1980s.

Political ecology typically operates under three basic assumptions. First, any costs or benefits associated with environmental change are not distributed throughout society equally. Major environmental and political changes do not affect everyone in the same way, and how such changes affect various populations may not be fair or equitable. Second, such unequal distribution tends to reinforce existing inequalities rather than help to level the playing field. Those who were already positioned in an advantageous manner will be better able to cope with significant political or environmental changes. Over time, this leads to the advantaged becoming stronger and the disadvantaged becoming weaker. Third, the reinforcement of existing power dynamics by political ecologies is reflected in the political and economic worlds.

Those who specialize in political ecology know that such interactions are rarely just, but societal awareness of them can help governments minimize them. Many political ecologists work with legislatures to ensure that the people making governmental policies know the broader implications of their actions, ensuring that governments work to manage the natural environment responsibly. They also work to ensure that the public understands how political pressure impacts the natural environment, as well as how societal inequality and the relations between various societies affect the natural world.

Political ecology often interacts with the fields of urban political ecology and political economy. Urban political ecology combines aspects of political ecology and urban ecology. Those specializing in this field study the complex socioeconomic relationships impacting cities, including the people, animals, and plants that live within them. Political economy is the study of how various economic theories, such as capitalism, actually function. For example, political economists might work to discover how the lives of individuals living under capitalism differ from the lives of those living under communism. Political economists might work alongside political ecologists to study how economic policy impacts the environment.

Bibliography

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