Social ecology recognizes that nearly all present ecological problems arise from deep-seated social problems. It asserts that environmental issues cannot be clearly understood or resolved without dealing with problems within society. Economic, ethnic, cultural, and gender conflicts lie at the core of serious ecological dislocations.

The school of social ecology points out that social relations, specifically the organization of property and production, shape environmental perceptions and practices. Different social groups approach the environment differently based on their varied interests and ideologies. Thus, environmental crises have their roots in social inequality, and resolving them requires changing relations between different social groups.