Author Archives: James Atkins
Calculating the cost of changing demand for emission reductions
The price of something is, in economics, established as a point where the demand curve meets the supply curve. So, too is the quantity of that thing that is traded. Most climate policy has been, to date, about changing the … Continue reading
Everything we eat is from a place which was once wilderness
The Guardian has recently reported on destruction of forest in the Ivory Coast for growing chocolate: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/sep/13/chocolate-industry-drives-rainforest-disaster-in-ivory-coast It is horrifying and but we should not be surprised, self-righteous or indignant: everything we eat is from a place which was once … Continue reading
Posted in Environment, society, politics and economics
Tagged avocado, bird-friendly farming, chocolate, coffee, farming, food, wilderness
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LAPWING: a small levy on middle-class coffee drinkers to finance bird-friendly farming
Stephen Moss’ book, Wild Kingdom, is about bringing back Britain’s wildlife. Industrialised farming since the Second World War has devastated Britain’s landscapes and the birds and animals that lived in it. Originally the destruction of our historical, zoologically rich farmland … Continue reading
Nature notes – Nature’s builders and more death gardening
Nature’s builders Although calcium is recommended by doctors, the taste of cement and plaster, which are rich in calcium, is not pleasant. Yet, during a construction project you get a lot of calcium in your mouth. Consider, then, two creatures … Continue reading
Good government
I recently had a chat with someone and became very disappointed. This is a fellow who is exceptionally brainy and all together a nice chap with good values. However, he has let himself be seduced by the economic unorthodoxy of … Continue reading