Degradação Ambiental e Teoria Econômica: Algumas Reflexões sobre uma “Economia dos Ecossistemas”

There are few consistent theoretical reflections on the suitability of economic instruments per se in facing the issue of natural capital degradation. This paper presents some considerations about the relationship between environmental degradation and economic theory in a critical perspective. The guiding assumption of the arguments is that the treatment given so far to the environment is largely reductionist, which must necessarily be overcome by a transdisciplinary approach. The sequencing of the ideas outlined converges to the need of building this new framework, referred to here as “Economics of Ecosystems”.