Economic Dimensions of Environmental Citizenship

This chapter introduces economic approaches, studies and contributions to the global discussion on the relationship between economics and the environment. These relations are continuously influenced by the activity of individuals and communities. The social dimension is evident, and mutual interactions between society and environment are investigated in many fields of science. Human decisions and behaviours have consequences for the environment which change in time, and its resulting state impacts subsequent human attitudes and behaviour. Widely applied principles of mainstream economics face criticism from different platforms. This chapter also focuses on the argumentation of mainstream economics that are contrary to the more interdisciplinary economic approaches to environmental issues. The main contradictions in such a debate come from a different value system of individuals. Through diverse stakeholder groups, the economic dimension of Environmental Citizenship stretches from a local to a global level. The transformation of economic systems requires an interdisciplinary approach to overcome political and social barriers.