First Name:
Daniel
Last Name:
Brookshire
Major Department:
Sustainable Development
Thesis Director:
Charles Smith
Date of Thesis:
May 2009
Humanity has reached a point in population growth and industrial-agricultural development where most ecosystems can no longer be seen as being untouched by humanity and the economic system can no longer be seen as separate from ecosystems or the confines of the biosphere. Scholars of sustainability often argue that in reality there is one “house” which is being studied by the disciplines of both economics and ecology. By further integrating the principles of sustainability into economics, an interdisciplinary and more accurate assessment of environmental and social problems may be reached and more equitable policies and solutions may be found.