Economic thoughts about environmental qualities are presented. Ones that underline human domination of nature, labelled ‘economists’, cover the neo-Marxist and liberal ideas about exploitation of the natural resources with help of technologies and their substitution of capital and labour. The radical neo-liberal idea of transactional societies is assessed as a failure in meeting its objectives. The ideas that perceive parity of human with nature, called ‘environmentalist’, are also covered. They address the shortages of natural resources, degradation of sinks by pollution, unsustainable uses of land, and unfair distribution of access to nature. Their radical idea for fairness is critically assessed based on experiences across countries. An alternative of green growth or broad welfare is discussed.