Putting a price on the natural world will only hasten its destruction | George Monbiot

Defining Earth's resources as 'natural capital' is morally wrong, intellectually vacuous, and most of all counter-productiveNever mind that the new environmental watchdog will have no teeth. Never mind that the government plans to remove protection from local wildlife sites. Never mind that its 25-year environment plan is all talk and no action. We don't need rules any more. We have a pouch of magic powder we can sprinkle on any problem to make it disappear.This powder is the monetary valuation of the natural world. Through the market, we can avoid conflict and hard choices, laws and policies, by replacing political decisions with economic calculations. Continue reading...