Współczesne Problemy Ekonomiczne

The aim of this article is to illustrate the scale of the effects of globalization on ecosystems and the growing importance of subjective perceptions of the environmental determinants of quality of life. The goal of the work is to show the link between globalization and the natural environment, the scale of changes in the natural environment, and the concept of quality of life as a condition of the environment. The empirical part uses available reports on the impact of economic activity on ecosystems. The analysis shows that in recent decades there have been major destructive changes in the environment and that most of its sectors are forecast to remain negative or deteriorate. The need for greater accountability of welfare and welfare research (among others in the formulation of socio-economic policy objectives) results primarily from disturbing negative trends in the natural environment and from growing awareness of the importance of non-material factors in the overall assessment of life satisfaction.