The concept of ecological literacy (or eco-literacy) for short, pioneered by Fritjof Capra, means "our ability to understand the basic principles of ecology and to live accordingly." In other words, to use ecological principles to build sustainable human communities. By sustainable human communities, Capra means "social, cultural and physical environments in which we can satisfy our needs and aspirations without diminishing the chances of future generations."
Watch Capra explain ecological literacy on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vohcled-kto
Capra stresses how eco-literacy should be brought into schools through gardening and cooking, but the ideas behind it need to be taken into account on a larger level as well. One of the principles of ecology Capra stresses is that "diversity assures resilience." The increasing presence of GMOs is a perfect example of how this simple principle is being ignored. GMOs have decreased biodiversity, making crops more vulnerable to climate change, pests, and diseases, not to mention the unknown side-effects of GMOs on the animals (including humans) that eat them. "Diversity assures resilience" is a simple principle that has been ignored by the agricultural industry and food policy makers who have been more concerned about present crop yields than the future.
Read more on GMOs and biodiversity: http://gmo-journal.com/index.php/2011/06/17/loss-of-biodiversity-and-genetically-modified-crops/
GMOs can be considered a 'disturbance' in an existing biosphere. Capra would argue that the long-term impact of the disturbance is unpredictable. That is, it is non-linear, or beyond a simple one-to-one 'cause-effect' relationship. The disturbance will test the capacity of the biosphere system to absorb the shock by 'generating' a new state of equilibrium, one that does no throw other connected systems out of whack.
ReplyDeleteCapra's work can also be read as a critique of scientific reductionism. In this context, he poses for us a seeming paradox in his own method: how can you use a simple model (the cell) to understand complex interactions (the defining characteristics of life)?
Communities are complex living/learning systems.