The state of food and agriculture

Issued by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

This 2008 edition "explores the implications of the rapid recent growth in production of biofuels based on agricultural commodities. The boom in liquid biofuels has been largely induced by policies in developed countries, based on their expected positive contributions to climate-change mitigation, energy security and agricultural development. The growing demand for agricultural commodities for the production of biofuels is having significant repercussions on agricultural markets, and concerns are mounting over their negative impact on the food security of millions of people across the world..." - back cover

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Economic aspects of adaptation to climate change

edited by Shardul Agrawala and Samuel Fankhauser.

This report provides a critical assessment of adaptation costs and benefits in key climate sensitive sectors, as well as at national and global levels. It also moves the discussion beyond cost estimation to the potential and limits of economic and policy instruments - including insurance and risk sharing, environmental markets and pricing, and public private partnerships - that can be used to motivate adaptation actions.

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Living in a dynamic tropical forest landscape

Edited by Nigel E. Stork and Stephen M. Turton

This book is "a compendium of current knowledge of the..."Wet Tropics" landscapes of Northeast Australia...The book is presented in six sections with summaries by international luminaries who have placed the chapters in a global context. Social, cultural and economic dimensions are discussed, providing a holistic view of tropical landscape environments...[T]his book will be of great interest to a wide range of readers including...policy makers and natural resource managers."

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OECD Environmental Outlook to 2030

"The OECD Environmental Outlook to 2030 provides analyses of economic and environmental trends to 2030, and simulations of policy actions to address the key challenges ... including climate change, biodiversity loss, water scarcity ... [and shows that] a mix of policies can address these challenges in a cost-effective way."

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The new economy of nature: the quest to make conservation profitable

By Gretchen C. Daily and Katherine Ellison

This "optimistic book" examines how "environmentally minded innovators are...trying to harness ...self-interest - to preserve our life-support systems."

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