Breaking butterflies upon a wheel of indifference?

Nature's cycle does not match politicians'. A price therefore needs to be put on the environment.

Why are butterflies harder to rescue than banks? This is not just an Alice-in-Wonderland question, but a serious problem for the European Union as it begins to rethink its policy on protecting biodiversity. The differences between economic recovery and environmental recovery can throw some light on the question.

Two years since the financial crisis struck, the first green shoots of economic recovery are now evident. France and Germany are, by some standards, out of recession. Optimists think the UK might follow next year. But the EU's member states are a long way from environmental recovery. Many of Europe's habitats, animals, birds and plants are deemed to be in a poor state of conservation, while international talks on a global deal to limit climate change are bogged down.

Sursa.