The thoughts behind the Renegade Ecologist

From my 30 years as a nature conservationist I have learned the utter futility of trying to protect nature under our current economic system. But by making some small changes to our taxation system we could make a world fit for our children to inherit full of wildlife & prosperity for all.

There are a thousand hacking at the branches of evil to one who is striking at the root....
Henry David Thoreau
"In many ways, nature conservation has become just another method of rent extraction by landowners who are trying to hide the fact that modern farmers’ fields are essentially deserts, devoid of wildlife, and the taxpayer must pay ‘rent’ if we want wild animals to occupy ‘their land’."
Peter Smith

Land Value Tax, which is in my opinion the Holy Grail of legislative changes to protect wildlife, is the simplest expression of the Economic theories of Henry George. This theory goes that if we abolish all harmful taxes on our hard work and trade and instead charge a rent for the use of natural resources such as Land we will not waste them or allow private interests to exploit the rest of humanities access to them.

Such a tax would not only stimulate jobs and enterprise but put a value on all of our natural resources and force us to look after them. If it was implemented for agricultural land, where the lower value of perpetually designated wilderness or natural grazing land is reflected in its land value taxation, it would be the surest way to save the wildlife of the UK and for the least cost to the taxpayer”

This would mean hard to farm areas, steep banks, riverbanks, rocky outcrops and areas landowners want to designate a nature reserves, which must be legally binding, could be set aside for wildlife and as such attract no taxation. The result of this would be that unproductive and marginal land would become wildlife havens and receive long term protection for future generation to enjoy. But it would also take away land and monopolies from our plutocrats who own wealth with no obligation to the rest of society, these plutocrats fund both the red and blue (and Yellow) faction of the vested interest or ‘line my friends pocket’ parties that control the legislature in Britain.

This blog is dedicated to teaching those who love nature that there is a simple ‘magic bullet’ that can save the rare wildlife of this country at no cost to the taxpayer. This magic bullet will actually grow our economy and create jobs and help create a better society based on rewarding those who work hard while penalising idol people who make monopolies such as bankers and landowners.

The solution if adopted worldwide would alleviate poverty and starvation and make a significant contribution to preventing war and terrorism.

Follow me on twitter: @peetasmith

Views are my own and don’t reflect the views of Wildwood Trust

Friday, 25 October 2019

Only economic Justice can save our future & restore nature...

My talk to the Coalition for Economic Justice last Saturday. http://www.c4ej.com/


In this talk I explore what is nature, the history of its destruction and how economic justice will lead to its restoration, sucking carbon back into the ground, reducing carbon output and rewilding our world. All this with a vibrant environmentally friendly economy. Just by some simple changes to our tax system... But with profound effects that will change all our lives for the better. But make no illusions our economic system is designed to prevent such simple solutions to our problems for the greed of the few.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BU_DPdyvJG4



In many ways’ nature needs no wildlife charities, natural resource economists or government laws to thrive. It just takes people to stop abusing it and to have space to thrive on. The rewilding movement has shown Government policy and establish environmental NGO’s are achieving little in tackling nature’s destruction or combating climate and ecological breakdowns. This fundamental truth has rocked nature conservation who are struggling to cope with this social movement where established NGO’s and Government wish to be seen as having a monopoly on the protection of nature. Rewilding has enthused people that wildlife loss is not inevitable, and something can be done to bring wildlife and the natural systems all human life depends on back in profusion without spending a penny of taxpayer’s money.

We can eliminate poverty, reduce population and protect our planet from climate catastrophe with some simple changes to how we raise taxation. The shifting our taxes on incomes and trade and putting them on Land Values and environmental

externalities will make every person, business and government body value nature in every decision they make.

A change to our tax structure will allow a natural compensation system to happen automatically between the winners and losers when land is rewilded, based on understanding land values & taxation. Such solutions would protect nature and stimulate human progress, by getting to the very economic roots of the problem– we can see how simple economic steps, such as Land Value Tax & Green taxes, can efficiently and effectively internalise the costs and benefits of nature and create the Ecological Renaissance many people wish to see, allowing all to share the

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