A science
Before all its media coverage and frenzied use, ecology was first and foremost a science. It is a science that is essentially interested in the relationship that a species has with the specimens and the environment around it. This term was first used in the 1960s by an environmentalist named Ernst Haeckel. However, it was not this man who really gave this discipline its full meaning. Considered vague for many years, it is the research of scientists over the decades that has refined it and finally made it what it is today.
The fact remains that this branch of science uses the knowledge of a host of its colleagues such as geology, climatology or even genetics to try to explain various phenomena. For example, an ecologist could try to study the impact that the extermination of bees would have in a specific region to try to anticipate which other species, animal or plant, would be affected by this disappearance. Although these questions seem far from impacting humans, it is quite the opposite.
A scenario where a region finds itself overnight without pollinators could see its fauna and flora decline rapidly, which could lead to famines due to reduced harvests or environmental problems such as droughts for example. This type of problem is extremely complex to analyze and predict, but their work is vital because at a time when these phenomena and problems are becoming increasingly widespread, it is specialists like these who can provide real solutions.
A social movement
Having gone beyond the stage of a simple scientific discipline, ecology has, since the second half of the 20th century, taken off in the form of a political and societal claim and ideology. This union of peoples and their need for truth and change took root after the disasters caused by the various uses of the atomic bomb which created real environmental nightmares in the regions affected by radiation and other fallout. The trend gained momentum during the Vietnam War where the use of chemical weapons and soil contamination techniques was largely normalized. The peak of the "ecological movement" was, however, at the turn of the 21st century, or even of our time!For several years, scientists, environmental associations and aware populations have come together to express themselves on the same subject: the climate crisis. A real concern for current and future generations, increasingly frequent natural disasters and the risk of passing an environmental point of no return have led the "ecological movement" to go beyond scientific initiative. Ecology is now part of the electoral programs of political parties, reports broadcast on the biggest news channels in the world and is a democratized subject discussed by elders around the world.