Modern society's socio-environmental conflicts result from multiple causes, and responding to them is a complex, multidisciplinary venture. This article contributes to the understanding of that complexity, with a discussion of the main analytical keys that political ecology has used for the study of socio-environmental conflicts in Latin America. The article shows the important role that communication takes in this process, and argues that the Theory of Communicative Action can contribute to the political ecological analysis of socio- environmental conflicts in modern society, and can identify paths that allow the establishment of new alternative projects.