Ecology

In 1866 German scientist Ernst Haeckel (1834-1919) coined the term "ecology" ("Ökologie") for what would become a rigorous science which studies the relationships between living organisms and their physical environment, the two elements that together form a harmonious "ecosystem". Ecology thus deals with matters pertinent to biodiversity, demography, biocenosis (the study of interspecific competition), and environmental chemistry.

In common parlance however, the concept of "ecology" has taken on a series of additional meanings, mainly originating with social movements (most notably those of the 1960s and '70s) which actively promoted initiatives to protect and improve the planet's environment. The debate commonly centered on themes such as the damage caused by pollution or deforestation (the devastating effects of chlorofluorocarbons on the ozone layer come to mind), energy resource management, global warming with its alarming consequences (a higher concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere and increasingly acidic oceans), the modalities for disposing and/or recycling refuse as well as production waste, and the key role played by economic policies (a growing awareness that would lead to the notion of "sustainable development"). This Tag will primarily take into account that broader, more popular view of "ecology", given that the films examined here are often products of that activist ideology which exploded onto the scene during the latter half of the twentieth century.

When it comes to the silver screen, science fiction (sometimes infused with a horror theme) is the genre best suited for tackling these topics. Looking first at the general sci-fi films in this category, they feature stories that generally focus on the importance of the mankind-nature connection and tend to be structured as either morality or cautionary tales, and can occasionally even champion somewhat radical positions (e.g., the conviction that the ecological crisis derives solely from the capitalistic system - the assumption at the base of the so-called "social ecology" movement). Emblematic is the prolific "climate fiction" sub-genre of science fiction, which endeavors to expose and criticize human irresponsibility towards the ecosphere by depicting dystopic scenarios that highlight the devastating consequences of our irresponsible choices.

Turning to sci-fi with a horror bent, a prominent spot is reserved for "eco-vengeance" films, another prolific sub-genre that focuses on what happens when Mother Nature unleashes killer flora and fauna to exact her revenge on humanity. Here the tried-and-true MO calls for a given animal or species - or, taking it to an extreme, all nearby fauna/flora - to undergo some sort of horrific mutation (human-caused, naturally), which transforms the animal into an avenging agent of terror and death.