Final answer:
Ecological economics reverses the subordination of the natural world seen in environmental economics by positioning the human economy as a subsystem of nature and advocating for a sustainable, steady-state economy.
Step-by-step explanation:
In contrast to environmental economics, ecological economics is an emergent field that challenges the traditional view of the natural world as a resource to be valued solely in monetary terms. Instead, ecological economics posits that the human economy is a subsystem of the broader natural ecosystems and calls for a rethinking of economic growth in favor of sustainability and maintaining an indefinite relationship with our planet's resources and natural services.
Given this context, the ecological economics approach is reversing environmental economists' subordination of the natural world rather than simply circumscribing, corroborating, refuting, or ameliorating it. This shift represents a fundamental reevaluation of the role of economic activity within the earth's ecological limits, advocating for a steady-state economy that ensures planetary compatibility.