Social Ecology

Overview

Social ecology is viewing an environmental issue as stemming from our social structures/class. The idea suggests that ecological problems go hand in hand with social problems. For example, economic, ethnic, cultural, and gender inequalities correlate with environmental issues, and the way human beings deal with each other as social beings is crucial to addressing the ecological crisis. Social ecologists look at the "bigger picture" of our world, allowing for there to be a true connection between everything that happens in our ecosystem.

Murray Bookchin and His Impact on Social Ecology:

Murray Bookchin wrote about the changing society in the early '60s and how it related to the movements happening during this time. He believed that all of our social and ecological problems are stemmed from the constantly changing society and that he work hand-in-hand.

Bookchin also wrote about his vision of a future society in books such as Toward and Ecology of Freedom and Post-Scarcity Anarchism, including ideas related to "15-minute towns," communal education, and so forth.

• Photo Descriptions

• 3 Examples

• References

Some examples of Social Ecology:

1. Capitalism - leads to consumeristic mindsets that lead people to disregard the natural environment. 

2. Hierarchy (social structures) - leads humans to believe they are at the "top of the food chain," which leads to problems such as animal rights abuses, pollution, and a general disconnection from the natural environment.

3. Discriminatory Practices - lead humans to pollute and damage the resources of the most marginalized individuals. Examples include environmental racism and research extraction from former colonial territories.

References

• “Social-Ecological Systems.” SARAS Institute, 5 Sept. 2019, saras-institute.org/social-ecological-systems/.

• “Take Online Courses. Earn College Credit. Research Schools, Degrees & Careers.” Study.Com | Take Online Courses. Earn College Credit. Research Schools, Degrees & Careers, study.com/academy/lesson/social-ecology-in-environmental-ethics.html#:~:text=Social%20ecologists%20level%20critiques%20at,and%20the%20mindset%20of%20domination. Accessed 4 Sept. 2023.

• “What Is Social Ecology?” CORP-MSW1 (OMSWP), 20 Apr. 2022, www.onlinemswprograms.com/social-work/what-is-social-ecology/#:~:text=Social%20ecology%20is%2he%20study,the%20environment%20as%20a%20whole.