Ecologism is a movement that cares about environmental issues, the relations of living beings with the environment and the different environmental problems generated by our current society. Even within the environmental movement there are different branches: there are those who criticize the current economic system, who would reformulate it paying more attention to environmental issues, etc. In this ecology article, we explain everything about What are environmentalists and what do they doalso commenting on different branches of the environmental movement.
Ecologism
There are multiple factors that have helped establish the state of awareness of environmental issues and al environmental movement. One of the novels that contributed to the development of this was The jungle of the journalist Upton Sinclair, of 1908, where he described some of the unhealthy methods that were used in the slaughterhouses and from which federal laws on the food inspection were enacted. This was followed as Sand County Almanac (Arenoso County Almanac) from Aldo Leopold year, where he talked about the relationship of man and the biosphere. Subsequently, in 1962, it was published Silent springwhere Rachel Carson talked about the effects of the use of pesticides. The publication of these three novels has been very important for the development of environmentalism and their postulates are still defended by environmentalists.
However, Being an environmentalist is not the same as being an ecologist. The ecologist is the scientist who is dedicated to the study of ecology and its branches, to the study of natural systems, while The environmentalist is that citizen who is interestedwith more or less vehemence, for environmental reasons. It is similar to the difference between a political scientist and a politician. This difference between ecologist and environmentalist can sometimes be confused, although logically the coincidence of both can be given in the same person.
Within environmentalism, there are different branches, which we describe below.
Green Capitalism or Democratic Ecologism
This trend defends that the objectives of our capitalist system (development and economic growth) should not be crossed with environmental interestssince in this way, we go against human interests.
The premise of this movement of Democratic ecology or green capitalism It is that who pollutes, pays. This movement can be seen in some parts of the Kyoto protocol and in some preservation and conservationist organizations, who foster the preservation of Intoated areas For the human being.
Reformist Ecologism
It is a slightly harder movement than democratic environmentalism. These environmentalists consider that changes must transcend public and private reforms and place themselves in The responsibility of citizens as consumers and in environmental education.
The reformist ecologists They consider that issues such as responsible consumption, animal welfare or the reduction of natural resources are worrisome based on human interests. Companies are encouraged that are involved in the care of the environment and the causes of humanitarian aid and social justice (such as ecological banks, large transnationals that support refugees from conflict zones, AIDS patients, etc).
Ecosocialists
Unlike the previous ones, Ecosocialism considers al Current capitalist system as responsible for the global ecological crisis and identifies as one of the main problems in which the man of current society permanently consumes thousands of resources that he does not need, giving the problem of overexploitation of natural resources.
This movement tells us that natural resources are not infinite and it would be convenient to redefine consumption priorities worldwide to self -limit us, in opposition to the accumulation of goods and resources imposed by the current capitalist system. He Ecosocialist manifesto It was published in 2001 and can also consider as part of this movement to ecofeminism. Thus, ecosocialism considers that reformulate relationships between societies, people and the environmentenhancing the development of ecologically sustainable communities and dispensed with the figure of a world superpower (both economic and cultural).
Libertarian ecologism
It is the most radical environmental movement. It encourages a Change of full consumption habitsof economic-productive transformations and planetary consciousness. Within this movement, we can find deep ecology, which considers the human being as part of the natural cosmos in which there is a biocentric equality between the different living systems of the earth (man, animals, landscapes and ecosystems). Deep ecology promulgates that the human being must respect the intrinsic value of the other entities of the world.
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