University Distinguished Professor of Economics Dr. Edward B. Barbier will deliver a seminar on his forthcoming book Economics for a Fragile Planet on Thursday, March 10, as part of the economics department’s seminar series. The event, which is free and open to the public, will start at 4 p.m. in Clark Building A, Room 205. 

Written for an interested public beyond policy makers and economists, Barbier’s book advances new ways of thinking on markets and governance to manage what Barbier calls an increasingly “fragile” planet. His book argues for economic approaches built on five principles: ending the underpricing of nature, fostering collective action, accepting absolute limits, attaining sustainability, and promoting inclusivity.  

Economics for a Fragile Economy is available for pre-order from Cambridge University Press at http://cambridge.org/barbier22. Those interested in purchasing a copy of the book may enter discount code EFP22 for 20% off.  

Ed BarbierAbout Edward Barbier

In addition to his position in the Department of Economics, Barbier is a Senior Scholar in the School of Global Environmental Sustainability. The world’s most-cited scientist in agricultural economics and policy, Barbier’s main expertise is natural resource and development economics as well as the interface between economics and ecology. His most recent work examines long-term impacts of the 1970 cyclone in Bangladesh, valuing ecosystems in developing countries, and the impact of mangroves on economic activity in coastal areas.  

Barbier serves as a consultant and policy analyst for a variety of national, international and non-governmental agencies, including many UN organizations, the OECD and the World Bank. He is a frequent contributor to worldwide conversations on COVID-19 and rebuilding a green, sustainable global economy. Barbier recently co-authored with Associate Professor Joanne Burgess Barbier Economics of the SDGs: Putting the Sustainable Development Goals into Practice (Palgrave Macmillan 2021), which evaluates the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) put forth in the UN’s 2030 agenda. 

Barbier is on the editorial boards of several leading economics and natural science journals and in 2008 was named by Cambridge University as one of the 50 most influential thinkers on sustainability in the world. Among his honors and awards, he has received the 1991 Mazzotti Prize (Italy) for contributions to economics and ecology. 

Barbier has authored over 300 peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters, written or edited 25 books, and published in popular journals and media. His books include Blueprint for a Green Economy (with David Pearce and Anil Markandya, 1989), Natural Resources and Economic Development (2005), A Global Green New Deal (2010), Scarcity and Frontiers: How Economies Have Developed Through Natural Resource Exploitation (2011), Capitalizing on Nature: Ecosystems as Natural Assets (2011), A New Blueprint for a Green Economy (with Anil Markandya, 2012), Nature and Wealth: Overcoming Environmental Scarcities and Inequality (2015), and The Water Paradox: Overcoming the Global Crisis in Water Management (2019).