The authors stress important and neglected points about potentially adverse effects on sustainability from organic farming. Nevertheless I have some comments here: http://wp.me/p3yx1u-9N.
This proposal has four issues: 1. the additional tax only makes sense if the existing taxes are inefficiently low; 2. Is this idea not already implemented in the various cap-and-trade agreements? 3. what stops producers from transferring the tax onto consumers? 4. Who is the real polluter? I discuss these questions here: http://wp.me/p3yx1u-9I.
Thank you for these nice insights. An article with similar ideas has been written by Sian Sullivan on http://www.greeneconomycoalition.org/, entitled "Should nature have to prove its value?". A discussion on why nature gets more and more monetarized can be found here http://wp.me/p3yx1u-4A.
Overall I am missing the point that nowadays a price tends to get put on nature in order to efficiently internalize externalities. How is one supposed to be able to know the value of nature if one does not place a price on it?
China is starting that war on subsidies now, or at least trying to rescue its failing solar giants, see http://grist.org/news/china-plans-a-major-solar-spree/#.UeWgL_EHoVQ.twitter and discussions http://wp.me/p3yx1u-48 and http://wp.me/p3yx1u-4y.
Despite its ongoing economic stagnation and aging population, Germany’s outlook is far from hopeless. But to restore its growth momentum, it must embrace the realities of the twenty-first century, invest in high-potential emerging sectors, and adapt to an increasingly volatile geopolitical landscape.
urge policymakers to pursue bold structural reforms, rather than clinging to an outdated growth model.