Excluding nature from economics is irrational

November 25, 2025

Julian Cribb reminds us of the quote from that great Canadian environmentalist, David Suzuki: “Nature, the air, the water, the soil, the biodiversity that allows us to live (are) not in the economic system.” Excluding nature from economic thought is indeed irrational.

Cribb also cites William Ripple who warned in 2017 that: “We are jeopardising our future by not reining in our intense material consumption and by not perceiving continued rapid population growth as a primary driver behind many threats." This was agreed wisdom 50 years ago yet seems to have been forgotten. Consumerism and population growth are applauded today yet there are clear resource limits on a finite planet. We are experiencing catastrophic biodiversity loss and climate change. Both are manifestations of excluding nature from our economic thinking and from allowing a massive expansion of consumption and population numbers.

If we are to mitigate climate change and halt biodiversity loss, we have to value nature. We have to stop encroaching on the territory of other species. If we want other species to live, we have to preserve their habitats. It means pulling back on the whole human enterprise – in our numbers, and in our resource and energy use.