Money and the environment

Links between the environment and money - or, more precisely, points of contact between the monetary circuit and ecosystems - are pervasive, with the greatest environmental impact occurring through extraction of raw materials and emission of wastes. This chapter focuses on the point at which natural resources enter the economy through commodity markets, approaching them within a tradition that can be traced back to Kaldor. From the winding down of fossil fuel extraction to the ramping up of the "bio-economy," links between commodity markets, financial markets, and the rest of the economy can be expected to rise in importance.