Ecological economics, with the objective of creating a sustainable society, should employ a Rawlsian concept of distributive justice in an intergenerational context as one of its principal foundations. This concept can apply to non-human species also, however, it is argued that the biophysical requirements of a sustainable society are likely to ensure the preservation of non-human species and habitats. The present forms of economic organization can be examined to test whether they can guarantee sustainability. The conclusion is that none of the existing forms of economic organization can adequately guarantee sustainability, and we should begin to investigate the conditions for an economy that is “ecologically bound.”
