the science that studies the relationships between living organisms and their environment. Its focus is on the system of relationships that support all life on earth, the internal relationships of nature.

Excellent definition

Incomplete definition ↓

ECOLOGY

(ecology) From Greek roots meaning "house" and "science". The German scientist Ernst Haeckel viewed ecology as “the science of the relationship between organisms and the environment.” This is a generally accepted definition still in use today. Haeckel first used the word Oekologie(ecology) in the book “General Morphologie” (“Generalle Morphologie”, 1866). In those days, the rapid process of industrialization, which changed the face of England and Germany, and the construction railways, accompanied by the economic development of adjacent territories in North America, entailed such ecological disasters, like the disappearance of the passenger pigeon and the almost complete extermination of the American bison. The "ruler" of the thoughts of the intelligentsia was Charles Darwin's work "The Origin of Species", published in 1859, with its main idea - the evolutionary development of all living things, including humans. The word "ecology" has always been understood in three meanings. Firstly, as an intellectual activity - the study of interaction between subjects of living nature. Secondly, as the system itself, generated by causal connections between species. And finally, thirdly, the word “ecology” is used (and not necessarily by environmental professionals) to analyze moral criteria and political programs determined by an awareness of the reality of environmental problems. Moral criteria, as a rule, come into conflict with practical human activities that destroy ecological systems, and require a search for ways to establish (or restore) human harmony with nature. The reality of such goals (moreover, their logic), as well as their relationship with the ideas of ecology as a science, are the main subject of political ecology. Political ecology has a long history, although some researchers think it is too short. The political (as opposed to scientific) meaning of the term was determined only in the late 1960s - early 1970s, when Western countries sounded the alarm about the state of the environment. During this period, moral philosophers, notably the Norwegian Arne Naess, began to pay more attention to the practical implications of ecology's findings. Naess distinguishes between “deep” and “shallow” ecology. The first is not “anthropocentric” and recognizes the principles of “biosphere egalitarianism”, “diversity”, “symbiosis” and decentralization. The second implies a purely anthropocentric concern for the purity of the environment and conservation natural resources(be it the beauty of nature or oil) for future generations. According to Naess, a person is obliged to take a position of “deep ecology”, if only in order to achieve the modest goals of “shallow ecology”. As he himself says, character traits and the basic principles of "deep ecology" have not yet been fully clarified, but the research of Naess and other scientists touched on a topic that excited people's minds and stimulated the emergence of a "green" philosophy, which has since developed at various levels - social, polemical and scientific. This movement is heterogeneous, but its dissociation from both liberal capitalism and Marxism-Leninism, often collectively referred to as “industrialism”, is obvious. Of course, "green" philosophy has the right to claim a sharp difference from any initial assumptions of Western political thought before 1970, which, as a rule, were liberal and utilitarian in nature - in other words, they were economic. Both "ecology" and "economics" (derived from Greek roots) mean stewardship - of a home or natural environment - but these words now refer to diametrically opposed views of what that stewardship should be. Political ecology and green philosophy are relatively new terms, but they remind us of long-held views. Most primitive cultures are characterized by a special attitude towards the “green” world, something like a proto-ecological philosophy. People revered nature and sought to live in harmony with the environment. The exception, as many scientists note, was Jewish culture. Genesis 126 affirms the “dominant” position of man, created as something unique, separate from nature, and endowed with unlimited right to rule over all other creatures. Therefore, many “green” writers contrast the pagan respectful attitude towards nature with the “Judeo-Christian” rejection of the ideal of ecological balance in favor of an anthropocentric theology of man and God, separated from the rest of creation and dominating it, except for the statements of the opposite nature of St. Benedict and (especially) St. Francis. Any type of political ecology is based on a doctrine that can be generally called the “ecological fall of man,” i.e. on the idea that humanity is capable of living, and once did live, in harmony with nature, but on at a certain stage this harmony was disrupted. One of the generally accepted versions of the Fall is the replacement of paganism with Christianity, first in Europe, and later in other regions where European colonialists reached. One of the traditionally Germanic creeds attributes the disharmony between man and nature to Jewish influence. This point of view, in particular, is expressed by Ludwig Feuerbach in “The Essence of Christianity”. Combined with racial theory, this approach contributed to the emergence of anti-Semitism by Richard Wagner, H.S. Chamberlain and the Nazis. The Nazi Reichsnaturschutzgesetz, a set of environmental laws (1935), was the prototype for environmental legislation. Rudolf Hess, deputy party leader, and Walter Darre, minister Agriculture, believed in “biodynamic” (or organic) farming, but this side of Nazi views began to lose its appeal already in 1939, as soon as the theory began to be put into practice. Some English writers, such as the novelist Henry Williamson, were attracted by the purely naturalist aspects of Nazi views. But more typical was the attitude of J. R. R. Tolkien, who saw Nazism as a “perverted” version of German natural laws. Another important line of thought is the recognition of the Anglo-Saxons' close connection with nature and their attitude towards Norman feudalism as an ecological fall from grace. John Massingham, K.S. Lewis and Sir Arthur Bryant are writers who felt an extraordinary kinship with the England of the Saxons: according to Massingham, the Saxons, close to nature, replaced the proto-capitalist exploiters of the Romans, and were later supplanted by the Normans, but they quietly recovered and gave medieval England their own values, trampled underfoot by the Tudor capitalist bureaucracy. Perhaps the most reactionary version of the ecological fall was propagated in the 1970s. Edward Goldsmith when he was editor of the magazine ("The Ecologist"). According to him, people passionately desire to live in harmony with nature, but they could realize this desire only when they were hunter-gatherers; any form of agricultural and industrial society violates the ecological balance. This brings us back to main problem ecological political theory. Scientific research does not allow us to either build an environmentally stable model or put forward a coherent theory of the harmonizing role of man in the ecological system. They rather lead to the construction of a Darwinian model (Darwinism) of an unstable evolving system in which man (and not only him) radically changes the living conditions of most other species, reducing the chances of survival of some and, perhaps, increasing the chances of most others. A person cannot live in harmony with nature if this implies his passive ecological role; he also cannot help but change the ecological system as the habitat of other species (all species play such a role without exception). On two-thirds of the land (and if you exclude polar and desert regions, almost all of the land), humans have radically changed ecological systems. He could not leave nature untouched, for example, in English rural areas. Now nature is in many ways our own creation, and cannot exist without our intervention. Any independent ethical doctrine will not be ecological in itself; ethical aspects of man's role in nature must come from outside. Haeckel, in particular, introduced the religious factor into his system; he argued: “Any science as such is a phenomenon of nature and mental activity. This is the unshakable principle of monism, which, as a religious principle, could be called pantheism. Man is not above nature, he inside her." However, this is a religion only in form, it has no content. The pantheistic God left no instructions about whether rivers should be dammed or forests planted. One of the modern environmental theorists with a developed imagination draws our attention to the ecological paradox. In James Lovelock's GAIA: A New Look for life on earth" (“GAIA: A New Look at Life on Earth”) says that earthly existence (we are not talking about the Earth and human life) is a self-sustaining system of systems to which man is not capable of causing any significant harm, nor significant benefit, although it may affect one's own chances of survival. Environmental pollution for Lovelock is “the most natural thing in the world,” and nuclear energy is inherently no different from any other energy source. In his opinion, it is in the interests of man to be guided by feelings of admiration and awe for the natural world. This idea echoes Naess's idea that ethical premises are simply "instilled, inspired and reinforced" by the nature of ecology. Individual or collective approaches cannot be ecologically right or wrong in themselves. However, there are very compelling arguments in favor of more general recommendation, which is as follows: when considering environmental problems, one should think not only about those that have been studied in detail environmental consequences our decisions, but also over the nature of ecology.

Having moved to live in a metropolis and walking along the streets in the evening, I caught smells: fresh bread, fried meat, expensive perfume and... exhaust fumes. On the horizon are smoking factories. I thought: humanity, by comprehending technological progress, is depriving itself fresh air. But our planet is also having a hard time breathing.

Ecology as a modern science

150 years ago, the German biologist Ernst Haeckel proposed the term “ecology” (from the ancient Greek οἶκος - “house” and λόγος - “science”), studying issues of the environment and its protection. Ecology has begun to develop rapidly, and now it has a lot of concerns about our planet.

Current environmental problems

The second millennium is the peak of industry. When we go into a store, we buy products without thinking that the packaging for them is made in factories. In addition to air pollution, humanity is fighting the following problems.

• Global warming. Melting glaciers can flood continents.
• Destruction of the ozone layer. Ozone protects earthlings from dangerous cosmic radiation.
• Acid rain. Pollution of soil and water bodies can deprive us of crops and drinking water.
• Soil contamination. Household waste dumps have enslaved many areas of the earth.
• Water pollution. Rivers, lakes and oceans suffer from emissions of petroleum products.

How environmental problems are solved

There are no fewer factories and cars, but people are actively fighting to improve the environment.

• Recycling. Separate waste collection and recycling will save the planet from pollution.
• Alternative fuels. Car companies have set limits on exhaust emissions, and electric cars have already appeared on the roads.
• Eco-products. Supermarkets "Auchan", "Magnit" and "Lenta" offer to buy instead plastic bag environmentally friendly, because it quickly decomposes in the soil.
• Environmental organizations. The Greenpeace, RosEco, and Green Cross movements are effective in protecting the environment.

Each of us, simply by throwing garbage into the trash bin, does small step to maintaining cleanliness. After all, as popular wisdom says: if you want to change the world, start with yourself!

Ecology is a science that studies the laws of nature, the interaction of living organisms with the environment, the foundations of which were laid by Ernst Haeckel in 1866. However, people have been interested in the secrets of nature since ancient times and had a careful attitude towards it. There are hundreds of concepts of the term “ecology”; at different times, scientists gave their own definitions of ecology. The word itself consists of two particles, from Greek “oikos” is translated as house, and “logos” is translated as teaching.

With the development of technological progress, the state of the environment began to deteriorate, which attracted the attention of the world community. People have noticed that the air has become polluted, species of animals and plants are disappearing, and the water in rivers is deteriorating. These and many other phenomena were given a name -.

Global environmental problems

Most environmental problems have grown from local to global. Changing a small ecosystem in a specific place in the world can affect the ecology of the entire planet. For example, a change ocean current The Gulf Stream will lead to major climate changes, cooling the climate in Europe and North America.

Today, scientists count dozens of global environmental problems. We present only the most relevant of them, which threaten life on the planet:

• - changing of the climate;
• - depletion of reserves fresh water;
• - reduction of populations and extinction of species;
• — depletion of mineral resources;

This is not a complete list global problems. So to speak, ecological problems, which can be equated to a disaster, is pollution of the biosphere and. Every year the air temperature rises by +2 degrees Celsius. The reason for this is greenhouse gases. A world conference dedicated to environmental problems was held in Paris, at which many countries around the world pledged to reduce gas emissions. As a result of the high concentration of gases, the ice at the poles melts, the water level rises, which in the future threatens the flooding of islands and the coasts of continents. To prevent the impending catastrophe, it is necessary to develop joint actions and carry out activities that will help slow down and stop the process of global warming.

Subject of study of ecology

At the moment there are several sections of ecology:

• — general ecology;
• — bioecology;

Each section of ecology has its own subject of study. The most popular is general ecology. She learns the world, which consists of ecosystems, their individual components - relief, soil, flora and fauna.

The importance of ecology for every person

Caring for the environment has become a fashionable activity today; the phrase “eco” is used everywhere. But many of us do not even realize the depth of all the problems. Of course, it is good that the vast humanity of people has become indifferent to the life of our planet. However, it is worth realizing that the state of the environment depends on each person.

Any inhabitant of the planet can perform daily simple steps which will help improve the environment. For example, you can recycle waste paper and reduce water use, save energy and throw garbage in the trash bin, grow plants and use reusable items. How more people will comply with these rules, the greater the chance of saving our planet.

According to the acting governor of the city, the current situation irritates residents ST. PETERSBURG, July 15. Acting Governor of St. Petersburg Alexander Beglov, at a meeting with members of the city government in Smolny on Monday, ordered to intensify work to eliminate spontaneous landfills. “We receive a lot of requests regarding spontaneous landfills. I often travel around the regions and see that we have a huge number of landfills, which annoy residents, and then there are corresponding sanitary installations. Today this raises questions and concerns, so we need to pay the strictest attention to this and sort it out,” Beglov said. As Vice-Governor Nikolai told reporters...

Moscow surgeons managed to save a patient from aggressive stomach cancer with minimal interventions. Surgeons at City Clinical Oncology Hospital No. 1 of the Moscow Department of Health saved a 78-year-old patient suffering from signet ring cell cancer of the stomach. An elderly patient was admitted for elective surgery. After conducting all the necessary studies, the doctors decided to use the laparoscopic method - to remove the tumor through a small incision, despite its complex location in the central part of the stomach. The operation lasted 5 hours, and the volume of blood loss was only 100 ml, thanks to the use of an ultrasonic harmonic scalpel. During the intervention, doctors removed a seven-centimeter tumor and lymph nodes. In addition, we managed to carry out…

The acting governor of the Northern capital, Alexander Beglov, demanded that garbage dumps be removed from the city within seven days and that organizations that do not take care of their sites be brought to administrative responsibility. The press service of Smolny reported this. Speaking at a working meeting in the city government, Alexander Beglov noted that he receives a lot of messages about illegal landfills on his VKontakte page. They also say that there is a problem public organizations. At a government meeting, it was said that there are 36 unauthorized landfills in the city. The current head of the city did not rule out that the actual number of landfills could be higher.…

✅The world is not divided into passive aggressors and their victims. Almost each of us has been in both forms. When I notice that I sound like a passive aggressor, something has happened before. Something painful that caused a mixture of resentment, bewilderment, and a sense of injustice. Passive aggression is poison. It seeps into speech, making it toxic for the interlocutor. And although I really don’t like the word “toxic,” there’s no other way to say it. It seems like a conversation like a conversation, but it immediately starts to feel cloudy. Why, from what - it is unclear. Toxic dialogue “At least” in a request. “Although you...

✅You have the right to leave there and from what makes you truly unhappy. After all, there is only one life - there is no need to waste it so stupidly. Leave if they don't give you any reason to stay... Just leave. We so often invent for ourselves something that is not even there. Relationships are where there is only convenience and a good time. We see love where there is only the desire to possess and the fear of being alone again. We so often stay even when we are given no reason to do so. And then we suffer a lot from it. Go away...

Shies, who has become an international symbol of “ecological resistance”, is already influencing the formation regional policy: the predicted resignation of the governor of the Arkhangelsk region Orlov is associated with him. In addition, Shies has already managed to leave his mark in art - songs are written about him, videos are made about him, he is reflected in fine art. Reinterpreting the painting of Vincent van Gogh. Analysts say the resignation of the governor of the Arkhangelsk region is inevitable, and link this to the garbage protests raging in the region. The only difference is in assessing the role of Shies - whether this is the main reason or additional to all the others: belittling the role of fighters against Moscow garbage, political scientists say...

Experts and politicians warn that the implementation of European Union laws on the recycling of photovoltaic panels in Slovenia shows the shortcomings of existing regulation and the need to improve the collection and recycling system for solar energy waste. EU Directive 2012 on waste electrical and electronic equipment(WEEE) provides for the application of the principle of “extended producer responsibility”, according to which the manufacturer or importer must bear the responsibility and costs for the disposal of end-of-life panels. This regulation was transferred to the Slovenian law on waste electrical and electronic equipment, which came into force on August 8, 2015. This law regulates waste management…

Photo: ICRA Art An international team of paleontologists has described the fossilized remains of a dinosaur discovered in Texas (USA) and identified it as a new genus and species. An article about the discovery was published in the Journal of Systematic Palaeontology, and Eurek Alert talks about it briefly. Scientists have reportedly acquired the most complete skull of a duck-billed dinosaur ever found. The new kind was named Aquilarhinus palimentus. Scientists have determined that it also belongs to a previously unknown genus. His mouth turned out to be strange and surprised scientists. In structure it resembles a duck’s beak, but the upper jaw is a curved nasal...

We understand what the keto diet is, look for pitfalls and create rough plan eating according to the principle of the most popular Hollywood diet The ketogenic diet (or keto diet for short) is a diet low in carbohydrates and high content fat, which research shows has many benefits for the body. This type of nutrition can help not only lose weight, but also improve your own health. The ketone diet has benefits against diabetes, cancer, epilepsy and Alzheimer's disease. However, despite its numerous advantages and wide popularity (one of the 10 most popular diets of our time), it remains the most controversial of all. Editorial…

Single-celled organisms living in communities need to somehow communicate with each other. But how can they do this? Nervous system, common to all, they do not have. Of course, they can highlight environment some signal substances that will float across the water to the neighbors. Or you can use water itself as a signal transmitter. Stanford researchers studied a protozoan called Spirostomum ambiguum, whose elongated and fairly large (up to 1.3 mm) cells resemble microscopic worms. All species of the genus Spirostomum are known for their contractile abilities: S. ambiguum shortens by 40% of its length, and extremely quickly, by only 5 milliseconds; and here…

Retailer X5 Retail Group and the Coca-Cola company in Russia launched pilot project for the collection of used plastic and aluminum containers through vending machines that accept PET bottles. This is stated in a joint message from the companies. As part of the pilot, fandomates were installed in 10 Moscow stores of the Pyaterochka chain. Based on the testing results, a decision will be made on the possibility of scaling the project. Returned bottles will receive a discount in the store. Maintenance of fandomates, removal of collected containers to recycling points and recycling of plastic and aluminum will be carried out by the Ecotechnologies company. Source

It is known that the risk of dementia is largely determined by genetics. Is it possible to compensate for heredity with a healthy lifestyle? Scientists from the University of Exeter Medical School conducted a retrospective genetic cohort study based on data from almost 200 thousand people over 60 years of age. A survey was also conducted among the participants, including questions about lifestyle and the presence of bad habits. Over the next 8 years of follow-up, 1769 new cases of dementia were recorded. The results of the analysis showed that a positive lifestyle was associated with a lower risk of developing senile dementia, regardless of genetic susceptibility. The concept of a “favorable lifestyle” included:...

Due to the increasing number of vascular diseases, ultrasound of the vessels of the lower extremities is becoming increasingly popular. More recently, such diseases mainly affected older people. But the statistics of appeals show that more and more young people are addressing this problem. Ultrasound is used to successfully diagnose and detect pathology. The procedures performed using this method allow you to find out about the disease in time and carry out successful treatment. Principle of use On modern stage The price for ultrasound of veins and vessels of the lower extremities is minimal. This is the most informative and safe method detection of circulatory dysfunction. Ultrasonic waves penetrating into soft fabrics body...