Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Applied Ecology and Environmental Research, cilt.21, sa.5, ss.4653-4675, 2023 (SCI-Expanded)
The relationship between humans and the environment is complex. To capture this complex relationship, metaphors/concepts have always been used. The most prominent of these metaphors/conceptions is the limits concept. This views the natural environment in terms of its carrying capacity and contend that human actions must be controlled so as not to overwhelm the environment. For overburdening the environment will result in a collapse of the natural system. The environmental optimists on the other hand discount the carrying capacity contending that human ingenuity and the market mechanism will overcome any temporary environmental problems that may arise. A tempered version of both is the political-ecological class of metaphors/conceptions which emphasize the political, cultural, and economic factors responsible for environmental decay and/or restoration. In this study, the implications of these metaphors/conceptions on environmental action and environmental finance are examined. It is concluded that, the limits conception views environmental action as a top-bottom endeavor and places governmental and multilateral organizations at the center of environmental and climate finance. The neoclassical and technological optimist concepts contend that, the current capitalist structure is well suited to tackle environmental externalities and government policy should encourage eco-innovation preferable through public-private partnerships. The tapestry and the political-ecological class of metaphors envisages a role for central authorities as well as private local individuals with crowdfunding and corporate social/environmental responsibilities along with governmental and multilateral aid and public-private partnerships being some of the main sources of funds for environmental protection and restoration.