Political ecology is a field of study that examines the relationships between political, economic, and social factors with environmental issues and changes. It differs from apolitical ecological studies by politicizing environmental issues and attempting to provide critiques and alternatives in the interplay of the environment and political, economic, and social factors. Political ecology is a critical research field within anthropology, geography, and related disciplines that has become well known for its analyses of how and why structural forces, such as capitalist economic processes and power relations, drive environmental change in an increasingly interconnected world.
Some key features of political ecology include:
-
Power relations: Power is inevitable at the core of political ecology. Political ecology is a way of creating a synergy between a political economy that aligns power distribution with ecological analysis and economic activities in a wider version of bio-environmental relations.
-
Critiques and alternatives: Political ecology attempts to provide critiques as well as alternatives in the interplay of the environment and political, economic, and social factors. The discipline has a "normative understanding that there are very likely better, less coercive, less exploitative, and more sustainable ways of doing things".
-
Socio-environmental interactions: Political ecology originally emerged as a framework or conceptual approach for understanding socio-environmental interactions and system dynamics.
Political ecologys broad scope and interdisciplinary nature lend itself to multiple definitions and understandings. However, common assumptions across the field give it relevance. Political ecology can be used to understand how and why economic structures and power relations drive environmental change.
