The roots of Ecological Economics can be found at the very beginning of Classical Economics, where physical wellbeing was the object of research, instead of the allocation of resources. Although Neoclassical Economics abandoned this objective early on, other efforts to study the biophysical foundations of the economic processes persisted and were inherited by modern Ecological economists. The fundamental difference between Ecological Economic theory and Neoclassical Economic theory is that, Ecological economists attempt to open the black box of economic processes with modern scientific tools, while Neoclassical economists expand the black box without interest in the mechanisms inside. However, in the current Ecological Economics framework, the social sphere of discussion is dominated by translated mainstream versions of Ecological Economics, rather than its original biophysical form. In the next stage of its evolution, Ecological Economics must address such inconsistencies to provide institutional insights based on the biophysical foundations of the subject, to fully open the black box of how human society extracts material and energy from the ecosystem, transforms them into physical wealth, and distributes that physical wealth. Also it must provide policy implications on how to carve out a sustainable economic institution.

生态经济学的根源可以在古典经济学的一开始就找到，在古典经济学中，身体健康是研究的对象，而不是资源的分配。尽管新古典经济学很早就放弃了这一目标，但是研究经济过程的生物物理基础的其他努力仍然存在，并被现代生态经济学家所继承。生态经济学理论与新古典经济学理论的根本区别在于，生态经济学家试图用现代科学工具打开经济过程的黑匣子，而新古典经济学家则对内部机制不感兴趣而扩大了黑匣子。但是，在当前的生态经济学框架中，讨论的社会领域以生态经济学的主流翻译版本为主导，而不是原始的生物物理形式。在其发展的下一阶段，生态经济学必须解决此类矛盾之处，以便根据该主题的生物物理基础提供机构见解，以完全打开人类社会如何从生态系统中提取物质和能量，将其转化为物质财富的黑匣子。 ，并分配这些物质财富。它还必须就如何建立一个可持续的经济机构提供政策含义。并分配这些物质财富。此外，它必须就如何建立可持续的经济制度提供政策影响。并分配这些物质财富。此外，它必须就如何建立可持续的经济制度提供政策影响。