Cover -- CONTENTS -- PREFACE -- INTRODUCTION -- 1. Biologist to the Rescue -- 2. Dreams and Fears of Growth -- 3. Listening to Cassandra -- 4. The Triumph of Optimism -- 5. Polarizing Politics -- 6. Betting the Future of the Planet -- NOTES -- SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY -- INDEX -- A -- B -- C -- D --...

As commodity markets have continued their expansion an extensive and complex financial industry has developed to service them. This industry includes hundreds of participating firms, including asset managers, brokers, consultants, verification agencies and a myriad of other institutions....

Commodity price volatility in international markets has been used to justify numerous policy interventions, including the need for buffer stocks and counter-cyclical payments. The common measure of volatility, the standard deviation or coefficient of variation, likely overstates the actual...