Ecologonomics: Modeling the Green Economy on Ecosystems

What on earth is “Ecologonomics?” It is a conjunction of two words, ecology and economics, which share the root “eco,” meaning “house,” but have different suffixes: “-logy,” meaning “knowledge,” and “-nomics,” meaning “management.”* In both words the root “eco” (house) carries the metaphorical connotation “earth” — the house we all live in. Both the knowledge and management of our earthly house is implied by ecologonomics.

Ecology, of course, is the study of ecosystems, and economics is the study of the production, distribution and consumption of commodities. The two subjects are generally studied separately. Furthermore, the growth and health of “the economy” is usually seen as unrelated to, or in conflict with the health of the planetary ecosystem, or ecosphere. This is an artificial distinction, because the human economic system is entirely dependent upon the ecosphere to sustain it. Ultimately, for the human economy to be sustainable, it must be functionally integrated with the ecosphere — obey the natural laws that govern ecosystems. Also, there must be reciprocity wherein human economic activities invariably enhance rather than damage the health of the ecosphere.

Designing such an economy requires a complete rethinking of our current economic models. Rather than being viewed as independent of the ecosphere, the economy must be viewed as dependent upon it. Rather than fostering the independence (and temporary dominance) of one species, homo sapiens, a sustainable economy fosters the interdependence of all living beings.

Ecologonomics then, is the art and science of modeling economies on the principles by which ecosystems function and sustain themselves. Ecosystems are sustainable because:

1) they use the virtually limitless renewable energy from the sun to produce (synthesize) molecules that function as both the basic physical building blocks and the energy sources for living tissue  (this is mostly achieved through the photosynthesis of sugar molecules by green plants)

2) through myriad chemical reactions they cycle versions of the basic molecules throughout an ecosystem until all the usable energy is extracted from them, after which the remnant molecules are recycled back into the tissue of energy gathering sub systems (usually green plants). Ecosystems do not waste resources — the waste of one organism is the food of another

3)  the biomass (total living tissue) of an ecosystem is limited by the resources — sunlight, water, minerals — available in its locale. Generally, resources are not concentrated in specific locales by the actions of living agents — certainly not on a scale remotely comparable to the concentration or resources by human agency. Ecosystems are sustained by maximizing the use of local resources

4) evolutionary mechanisms generate diverse subsystems (species) until all or most of the available niches within an ecosystem are filled. Diversity and functional overlap between species (many types of spiders eating the same insects, for example) assures that overall ecosystem function will continue — energy flows will not be catastrophically disrupted — in the event that a particular species is reduced in numbers or goes extinct.

These four mechanisms — reliance on renewable energy; reusing and recycling materials while extracting most or all of their embodied energy; limiting biomass production to locally available resources; and optimizing diversity to ensure continuity of energy flow — have underpinned ecosystems since they evolved as life’s supporting structure 3.8 billion years ago.

Modern human economies, by contrast, rely almost entirely on non-renewable energy sources; flow in primarily linear, as opposed to circular, energy paths; overextend themselves by focusing on long-distance rather than local or bioregional resource bases; and tend toward centralization and monopolization, as opposed to the diversification of the means of production and exchange.

It is clear that our economic models are not sustainable. The planet-wide depletion of basic resources such as potable water and fertile topsoil, the inability of the ecosphere to absorb more of our atmospheric, terrestrial or aquatic waste and the rapid loss of life-supporting ecosystem services such as pollination and flood prevention have all reached critical thresholds. Those factors, combined with the incessant and accelerating growth in our demand for resources, sinks and services are clearly bringing us to the brink of an environmental catastrophe of unprecedented scale.

It is imperative that we rapidly restructure our economic activities so they begin to regenerate, rather than continue to debase the ecosphere. We must create a green economy, modeled on the structure and function of ecosystems.

The creation of those new models will require the meeting of many minds, and open exchange of ideas from all over the planet and all walks of life. I invite you to share your thoughts in the comment section below.

-PSW

*The suffix “-logy” is from the Greek-Latin logos, meaning knowledge, so “ecology” literally means the knowledge of the house. The suffix “-nomics” has two components: the Greek-Latin “-nomos” originally meant “manager” or “steward” (of a household), but the “–ics” ending implies measurement, as in metrics.