The aim of this website/eBook is to present the subject of ecological economics to upper-secondary schools and other interested parties. In order to meet the needs of different readers, the content can be accessed in a variety of ways. For those who are familiar with the digital world of the Internet, the content can be read as a so-called eBook on a computer, tablet or smart phone, while those who prefer a more traditional book can download all the material in PDF format.

The content is divided into 10 sections, which in principle can be read independently. We recommend that sections 1 and 2 are read first as they represent a foundation for the remaining topics. Each section has its own front page, which includes a brief introduction and a number of articles that make up the content of the theme. On the website, there are 10 sections on the front page and in the main menu, while they are arranged as successive book chapters in the eBook, where the first five chapters interpret the problems from different angles, the sixth chapter deals with political decisions, while chapters 7 to 9 discuss various potential solutions. The individual sections represent different research programmes in the field of ecological economics with the programmes that are presented under section 1 and 2 constituting a kind of foundation for the remaining. Finally, section 10 is an attempt to present some theoretical concepts from other economic schools, which are often used in ecological economics and which appear in many different analyses. This section has been named ‘theoretical glasses’ because different theories can be thought of as different pairs of glasses that you can wear with each allowing you to view the world in a different way. This approach generally applies to the subject of ecological economics, which is characterised by its biophysical perspective on the study of economics and society. This is like wearing a special pair of glasses, which makes it possible to see things that are different from what you would normally see when wearing glasses that have a more traditional economics focus.

The website/eBook is non-profit and independent of commercial interests. Access to the material is unlimited and everyone has the right to share and disseminate the content of the page as long as it is done with respect to the material and with a clear reference to the source. In this spirit, we have also taken the liberty of using figures and graphs from other material and like-minded websites. This is done with gratitude and with source references and links, which indicate where the individual figures and graphs originate.

While preparing the material, we received feedback from a small group of dedicated high school teachers who participated in a workshop and provided valuable input and comments. We owe these teachers a big thank you.

We are also very grateful to the VELUX FOUNDATIONS for funding the work on the website as part of the EcoMac project: Ecological Macroeconomics and Sustainable Transitions – Critical and Constructive Perspectives.

This is the first edition of the material and, therefore, there may be some errors and inaccuracies. Any corrections will be greatly received.

Contact: Inge Røpke, ir@plan.aau.dk