Ecology or ecologism? Are you an environmentalist?
Environmentalist, ecologism, ecology.
Are they the same? What are their goals? Should you care?
Ecologism is growing in popularity as the effects of climate change become more evident. Unfortunately, this also means that more and more politicians are trying to hijack this movement to win votes. Also, smear campaigns in the media are becoming commonplace and some companies are taking advantage to try to sell us supposedly ecological products. All of this is putting ecologism in danger of being undermined and emptied of meaning.
For that reason, in this article, we aim to explain what ecology and ecologism are, and what are not. We hope to debunk some myths, and perhaps even help you discover an environmentalist in yourself.
Ecology, the foundation of everything
Although ecology as a scientific discipline is relatively modern, studying the relationships between living beings and their environment is as old as mankind itself. In early hunter-gatherer societies, humans survived by understanding their ecosystem. Without a knowledge of the behavior patterns of animals, their migrations, the growth rates of plants, or the importance of water flows, our ancestors would not have been able to thrive and evolve into what we are today.
It can, therefore, be said that without ecology there would be no mankind.
However, the transition to sedentary societies, the development of cities and civilization, and the technological advances, increasingly removed ecology from popular knowledge.
It was not until the 18th century, during the Enlightenment Period, that the ecosystems started being studied from an increasingly scientific perspective. This study was soon to revolutionize History as, in 1859, Charles Darwin published The Origin of Species, changing the way we understand biology and the world forever.
A few years after the publication of that book, the naturalist Ernst Haeckel, a great admirer and disseminator of Darwin’s ideas, created the term ecology from the Greek words oikos (house, home) and logos (study), “the study of the home“.
Today, ecology is the science that studies the relationship of living beings with their environment and with other species. It is a branch of biology and uses knowledge from many other disciplines, such as geography, meteorology, and economics.
Ecologists are the scientists dedicated to ecology. Their work is fundamental because it gives us important data to understand how we affect our environment and what to do to protect it.
Ecologism, the return to the origin
Since its “official” beginnings in the 1960s, ecologism (often refer as environmentalism) has evolved greatly and today encompasses many areas of society. It is a lifestyle, a social movement, and a political ideology.
There is no official handbook on ecologism; no Bible to follow or Manifesto written by some Karl Marx-type. That’s why you should be suspicious every time someone tries to appropriate this term. Ecologism is a movement that has been built up by many people because the feeling of wanting to protect our home is born naturally in us and is not the particular creation of anyone.
Ecologism’s cornerstone idea is the desire to protect our ecosystem and live in it sustainably. The rest of the ideas associated with ecologism cannot conflict with that objective and should always be analyzed, criticized, and replaced when necessary.
There are times when environmentalists, especially activists, forget about this and fall into fanaticism. This is especially harmful because ecologism relies on ecology and therefore the scientific method. We should keep in mind that moving away from critical thinking and the search for knowledge only harms the cause that one is trying to defend.
In the search for the best way to achieve this common goal, ecologism has developed into multiple branches that approach environmental protection from different perspectives.
The following is a summary of some of the most influential trends in ecologism today:
- Eco-capitalism: Defends the possibility of creating a sustainable capitalist system, where economic growth is compatible with nature. In this system, the protection of the environment is offered as another service within the free market, assuming that the increasing presence of environmentalist consumers will make those companies that are not ecologically sustainable disappear.
- Eco-socialism: Based on the Marxist analysis, it considers capitalism to be incompatible with the protection of the environment. Arguing that the sustainable integration of society into nature is only possible within a socialist economy, oriented towards human needs instead of capital accumulation.
- Ecofeminism: This trend assumes that the domination and destruction of nature are the consequence of a patriarchal society that oppresses women and therefore argues that the best way to protect the environment is through the destruction of this patriarchy.
- Deep ecology: This is a more philosophical and spiritual aspect of environmentalism. It is based on ecocentrism, the idea that considers humans in the same level of importance as any other living being within the ecosystem, that becomes the main element. It defends that environmentalism should seek to protect nature independent of its instrumental benefits for human use.
Environmentalism does not equal…
Now, let see some ideas that tend to be associated with ecologism but are not the same.
- Veganism: Veganism is the refusal of consuming animal products and services. Although there are people who are vegan for environmental reasons, these are two different ideologies. Being vegan does not imply being an environmentalist or vice versa.
- Animal liberation: This movement seeks to end the use of animals for human benefits and the recognition of their rights. Not only is it a different movement from environmentalism, but some even consider them incompatible.
- Spirituality: There are types of environmentalism with a greater spiritual background, such as the deep ecology movement. However, environmentalism does not imply a spiritual belief of any kind. You can be a believer, atheist, or agnostic and still be an environmentalist.
So, am I an environmentalist?
At this point you may still be wondering whether you are an environmentalist or not. You may also simply not care; it is, after all, just another label in a world full of them.
For some, being an environmentalist means rejecting consumerism and seeking happiness in minimalism, rejecting globalization, and giving priority to local and sustainable consumption. For other people it means trying to achieve social changes by participating in environmental NGO’s and political parties. Others may prefer to help the environment by planting trees, participating in cleaning up garbage in nature, or creating safe spaces for animals. To other people being an environmentalist means doing all of the above and more.
No matter what is your case or what ecologism trends you identify with more, there is one common trait that defines all environmentalists: a constant desire of understanding how their actions affect their environment and the willingness to make these actions cause as little damage as possible.
If that fits you then you are definitely one.
Conclusions
Ecology is the science that studies the relationships of living beings with each other and with their environment. Ecologists are the scientists dedicated to this study.
Ecologism is a movement that seeks, in different ways, the protection of the environment and a sustainable fit of the society in it. Environmentalists are the people who support the main goal of environmentalism and try to live based on it.