Grantham Seminar | Nature and wealth: overcoming environmental scarcity and inequality
Grantham seminar introduced and chaired by Prof. Samuel Fankhauser, Co-Director of the Grantham Research Institute
Prof. Edward B. Barbier, John S. Bugas Professor of Economics, Department of Economics and Finance, University of Wyoming, will be the speaker for this event. Prof. Barbier will present his new book, ‘Nature and Wealth: Overcoming Environmental Scarcity and Inequality‘.
The global economy is facing two major threats: increasing environmental degradation and a growing gap between rich and poor. These two threats are symptomatic of a growing structural imbalance in all economies—how nature is exploited to create wealth. The root of this imbalance is that natural capital is under-priced, and hence overly exploited, whereas human capital is insufficient to meet demand, thus encouraging inequality. By adopting a Balanced Wealth Strategy we can overcome the structural imbalance between nature and wealth that is inhibiting innovation, growth and prosperity.
Edward B. Barbier, author of Nature and Wealth, is the John S. Bugas Professor of Economics, Department of Economics and Finance, University of Wyoming. His main area of expertise is natural resource and development economics as well as the interface between economics and ecology. He has served as a consultant and policy analyst for a variety of national, international and non-governmental agencies, including many UN organisations, the World Bank and the OECD. He has authored over 200 peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters, written or edited 21 books, and published in popular journals. He is consistently ranked among the top 20 cited environmental economists globally.