Edward Barbier

Idea generator

Edward B. Barbier is a University Distinguished Professor in the Department of Economics, Colorado State University and a Senior Scholar in the School of Global Environmental Sustainability. He previously held positions at University of Wyoming, University of York and the International Institute of Environment and Development. Professor Barbier’s main expertise is environmental and resource economics as well as international environmental policy. He has served 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. Professor Barbier is on the editorial boards of several leading economics and natural science journals, and he appears in the 4th edition of Who’s Who in Economics. In 2008, he was named by Cambridge University as one of the 50 most influential thinkers on sustainability in the world, and among his honors and awards, he has received the 1991 Mazzotti Prize (Italy) for contributions to economics and ecology. Professor Barbier has authored over 300 peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters, written or edited 25 books, and published in popular journals and media. He is a highly cited scholar on global environmental and sustainability issues. Professor Barbier was elected as a 2015 Fellow of the Association of Environmental and Resource Economists.

The transition to a greener, more sustainable and inclusive economy. I have devoted my entire career as an economist to promoting this objective through policy work and research. As I indicated, this passion is also the subject of my latest book commissioned by Cambridge University Press, "Economics for a Fragile Planet", which I am currently writing.

How do we use the economic recovery from the pandemic to build a greener, more inclusive economy that limits global environmental risks while sustaining well-being for all. This is the subject of my latest book commissioned by Cambridge University Press, "Economics for a Fragile Planet", which I am currently writing.

economics, green economy, sustainability

Other than an occasional listener to TED talks, I have not really been involved much with TED directly. In 2018, I was invited to submit a proposal to the TED Audacious Project, based on my co-authored article, Barbier, E.B., J.C. Burgess and T.J. Dean. 2018. “How to pay for saving biodiversity.” Science 360 (6388): 486-488. DOI: 10.1126/science.aar3454. Unfortunately, my proposal was not successful, but I enjoyed the experience of applying.

playing the drums and harmonica, which I did for many years in a local rock and roll band. I didn't give up the day job, though!