CHAPTERFOUR
INTEGRALECOLOGY
137. Since everything is closely interrelated, and today’s problems call for a vision capable of taking
into account every aspect of the global crisis, I suggest that we now consider some elements of an
integral ecology
, onewhich clearly respects its human and social dimensions.
I.
ENVIRONMENTAL, ECONOMICANDSOCIALECOLOGY
138. Ecology studies the relationship between living organisms and the environment in which they
develop. This necessarily entails reflection and debate about the conditions required for the life and
survival of society, and the honesty needed to question certainmodels of development, production and
consumption. It cannot be emphasized enough how everything is interconnected. Time and space are
not independent of one another, and not even atoms or subatomic particles can be considered in
isolation. Just as the different aspects of the planet – physical, chemical and biological – are
interrelated, so too living species are part of a network which we will never fully explore and
understand. A good part of our genetic code is shared by many living beings. It follows that the
fragmentation of knowledge and the isolation of bits of information can actually become a form of
ignorance, unless they are integrated into a broader visionof reality.
139. When we speak of the “environment”, what we reallymean is a relationship existing between
nature and the society which lives in it. Nature cannot be regarded as something separate from
ourselves or as a mere setting in which we live. We are part of nature, included in it and thus in
constant interaction with it. Recognizing the reasons why a given area is polluted requires a study of
the workings of society, its economy, its behaviour patterns, and the ways it grasps reality. Given the
scale of change, it is no longer possible to find a specific, discrete answer for each part of the problem.
It is essential to seek comprehensive solutions which consider the interactions within natural systems
themselves andwith social systems. We are faced not with two separate crises, one environmental and
the other social, but rather with one complex crisis which is both social and environmental. Strategies
for a solution demand an integrated approach to combating poverty, restoring dignity to the excluded,
and at the same timeprotectingnature.
