Editing Political ecology (section)

==Overview==
While the broad scope and interdisciplinary nature of political ecology lends itself to multiple definitions and understandings, common assumptions across the field have given the term relevance. Political ecology is frequently seen as an approach to the study of environmental issues, but it can also be understood to define a lived reality and a praxis for change.<ref>Cederlöf and Loftus, 2024</ref> [[Raymond L. Bryant]] and Sinéad Bailey developed three fundamental assumptions in practising political ecology:

* First, changes in the environment do not affect society in a homogenous way: political, social, and economic differences account for uneven distribution of costs and benefits.
* Second,  "any change in environmental conditions must affect the political and economic status quo."<ref>Bryant and Bailey, 1997, p.28.</ref>
* Third, the unequal distribution of costs and benefits and the reinforcing or reducing of pre-existing inequalities has political implications in terms of the altered power relationships that then result.

In addition, political ecology attempts to provide critiques and alternatives in the interplay of the environment and political, economic and social factors. Paul Robbins asserts that the field has a "normative understanding that there are very likely better, less coercive, less exploitative, and more sustainable ways of doing things".<ref>Paul Robbins, 2012.</ref>

From these assumptions, political ecology can be used to:
* inform policymakers and organizations of the complexities surrounding environment and development, thereby contributing to better environmental governance.
* understand the decisions that communities make about the natural environment in the context of their political environment, economic pressure, and societal regulations.
* look at how unequal relations in and among societies affect the natural environment, especially in context of government policy.