Green economics and political ecology: the case of pensions and older people

This paper discusses the proper scope of green economics using the current position of older people in the UK as an example. It begins within conventional economics, where the main debate about older people is a financial phenomenon, the so-called pensions crisis. It then considers that debate from a green and progressive perspective, emphasising the real as well as the financial issues, including the political and institutional factors that condition the present system. Finally, it argues that to get a proper appreciation of the actual lives of older people, we also have to extend the scope of the discussion to include factors arising from human reproduction as well as production ? in other words, the proper scope of the enquiry is political ecology.