Does Livestock Help Against Desertification?

There is a very interesting TED presentation by Allan Savory on the effects of livestock and herding on desertification and climate change:

“How to green the desert and reverse climate change”

He basically claims that you can revert desertification by increasing livestock and mimicking the natural herding behaviour that grazing animals display when they fear predators. You can have more livestock which helps securing food. You can keep wild animals around. The reversal of desertification and the increase in soil helps to store carbon and thereby to prevent climate change. It almost sounds too good to be true. But he presents evidence that this works. Definitely worth watching!

YouTube page / TED talk page

Inequality Talk with Paul Kruman and Tony Atkinson

Great discussion with economics professors Paul Krugman and Tony Atkinson about the political and economical implications of inequality. It covers a lot of important topics like for example:

• the effects of inequality on democracy,
• the goals of taxation,
• optimal levels of top tier tax rates,
• how taxation can be enforced internationally.

The talk was organized by the ARC CUNY (Advanced Research Collaborative—City University of New York).

View on YouTube: Video page, ARC CUNY Channel.

Wealth Distribution – Desired vs. Perceived vs. Real

An interesting visualization of the distribution of wealth in the USA – the distribution desired by most, the perceived distribution and … reality:

(Via Mashable)

Dirk Müller zur Notwendigkeit einer Umverteilung

Börsen-Kommentator Dirk Müller hat der FTD ein interessantes Interview gegeben, in welchem er sich positiv zu einer Umverteilung äußert und sich u.a. auf den New Deal Franklin D. Roosevelts bezieht:

»Dirk Müller sieht das Finanzsystem am Ende«

Debunking Economics

Die zweite Auflage von

Debunking Economics

ist erschienen. Dieses Buch ist ein “must read!” für jeden, der wahrhaftig an Ökonomie interessiert ist.

Weitere Infos:

• Webseite des Buches: http://debunkingeconomics.com/
• Die erste Auflage des Buches
• Steve Keens Blog: http://www.debtdeflation.com/
• Steve Keens Youtube-Kanal

Doom!

An excellent comparison of the current economical crisis with the 1930’s crisis can be read in the New Republic:

»Doom! – Our Economic Nightmare Is Just Beginning«

Via Paul Krugman’s Blog.

Note:
Personally I am less in favour of deficit spending and more in favour of taxing the rich. Remember, the top tier income tax rate in the U.S. after the New Deal was more than 90% (applicable only for very large incomes, of course). I think this was essential for overcoming the Great Depression.

On the So Called “Nobel Prize” for Economics

A very interesting interview by the Institute for New Economic Thinking (INET) on the establishment of “The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel” (which is the official title):

Philip Mirowski – Why Is There a Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics?