UWs Barbier Recognized as an AERE Fellow

A University of Wyoming economics professor recently was named a Fellow by the Association of Environmental and Resource Economists (AERE).

Ed Barbier, a UW professor of economics and finance, was recognized as a 2015 AERE Fellow at the association’s summer conference in Breckenridge, Colo., June 11.

The AERE Fellows Program recognizes outstanding contributions to the field by members of the association. The awardees have demonstrated a significant contribution to the advancement of the profession of environmental and resource economics.

“I am honored to be selected as a 2015 Association of Environmental and Resource Economics (AERE) Fellow, as it is a recognition of my contributions to the field of environmental and resource economics throughout my career,” Barbier says. “As well as a personal honor, the award is also a recognition of the outstanding achievements in environmental and resource economics by our faculty.

“Since 2000, I have been the John S. Bugas Chair of Economics at the University of Wyoming. This has been a wonderful place to pursue environmental and resource economics, as our Department of Economics and Finance is a global academic leader in the field,” he says. “In addition to me, our department has two other AERE Fellows, Tom Crocker and Jay Shogren. I am grateful to them, all my faculty colleagues and our graduate students for establishing a department with an international reputation for top-quality research in environmental and resource economics.”

Barbier has had a long and distinguished career in environmental and natural resource economics and policy. He originated some of the earliest economic approaches to “sustainable development,” publishing groundbreaking work in this area in the 1980s. His 1989 book, “Blueprint for a Green Economy,” co-written with David Pierce and Anil Markandya, was named, in 2008, as one of the 50 most influential books on sustainability by Cambridge University’s Institute of Sustainable Leadership. Among its many honors and awards, the book received the 1991 Mazzotti Prize (Italy) for contributions to economics and ecology.

He also has pioneered the sub-field of environment and development economics. In 1995, Barbier was one of the founding editors of the journal Environment and Development Economics, and remains an honorary member of its editorial board.

He continues to serve as a consultant and policy analyst for numerous organizations concerned with environment and development, including many United Nations agencies, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, and the World Bank.

Barbier’s research has focused on the interface between economics and ecology, and, especially, the analysis of ecosystem services. This has involved extensive collaboration with scholars from a variety of disciplines, and led to publications in top economic journals and scientific journals, including Nature and Science.

His work has had a significant influence on policymakers and continues to impact global environmental outcomes, including current efforts to reconcile environmental and economic objectives through “green growth.” To date, Barbier has written more than 200 peer-reviewed publications and numerous books. He is one of the most highly cited environmental economists.

Barbier received UW’s President’s Award, which is based on excellence in research and teaching.