Ecological Economics

Ecological economics is a relatively new field of study that cuts across all of the major scientific disciplines required for the knowledge, vision, and tools to help restructure society toward sustainability that relies upon the vital but finite services provided by the natural environment. Ecological economics is defined as the integrated or transdisciplinary field of study of the sources and nature of interactions between ecological and economic systems to promote their joint sustainability and socially accepted welfare and distributional outcomes. In this entry, the key features of this new approach to environmental problem solving and its relevance to sustainable business operations will be examined.