ECOLOGICAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP AS AN IMPORTANT COMPONENT OF THE MODERN ECONOMY OF UKRAINE

Abstract

Introduction. Global climate threats and the devastating effects of the COVID-19 planetary pandemic have identified the importance of natural and human capital that needs to be urgently replicated. An important place among the priority steps on this path in the economic sphere is the intensive development of a new component of the modern economy – ecological entrepreneurship. It is designed to solve environmental problems and become an innovative form of management aimed at protecting humans and ecosystems. Ecological entrepreneurship is one of the main elements of the ecological economy, the economy of the future, which ensures the reasonable coexistence of man and nature, the efficient use of resources, their reproduction and conservation. The development of ecological entrepreneurship is especially relevant for the economy of Ukraine, which so far only tries to focus on resource-efficient and renewable. Goal. The purpose of scientific work is to analyze the essence, prerequisites for development, key principles, features and humanistic functions of ecological entrepreneurship; elaboration of a generalizing concept; characteristics of its forms; determining the types and main directions of development of ecological entrepreneurship in the modern economy. Method (methodology). A number of general and special scientific methods is used in the research, primarily: analysis and synthesis to clarify the essence of ecological entrepreneurship; systematization – to define the main types of ecological entrepreneurship; epistemology – to outline the main problems of formation of domestic ecological entrepreneurship; forecasting – to determine the main directions of ecological entrepreneurship in Ukraine. Results. According to the results of the research, the importance of ecological entrepreneurship in the modern economy of Ukraine for reducing and preventing global ecological changes in the ecosystem is argued. The existing interpretations of the concept of «ecological entrepreneurship» are analyzed, the author's definition of ecological entrepreneurship is proposed, its essence is outlined. Types, signs and functions of ecological entrepreneurship are considered. A distinction is made between ecological entrepreneurship and ecologically oriented entrepreneurship. The species characteristics of the enterprises of ecological maintenance and the criteria of ecological aim of economic activity are offered. The main problems of development are established and the key areas of ecological entrepreneurship in Ukraine are identified.