Chapter 08 · Finance, data & evidenceSustainability Language
Deep ecology
Definition
Deep ecology is an environmental philosophy articulated by Norwegian philosopher Arne Naess in his 1973 paper distinguishing the "shallow" movement — pollution control and resource management within the existing system — from the "deep" movement, which questions anthropocentrism and affirms the intrinsic value of non-human life. Naess and George Sessions drafted an eight-point Deep Ecology Platform in 1984; Naess's personal philosophy, Ecosophy T, extended it into a relational worldview.
References
1973 paper, platform, ecosophy
intrinsic value and self-realisation
Overview
What it means
A biocentric position: nature has worth in itself, and ecological crisis requires changes in worldview, not just technology.
How it is used
Deep ecology informs environmental ethics, radical environmental movements and critiques of shallow reformism; it contrasts with instrumental, human-centred framings of conservation.
Why it matters
It is one of the foundational schools of environmental thought and the reference point for debates about intrinsic value and anthropocentrism.