Maverick Maryland green economist honored
Herman Daly, a University of Maryland ecological economist, will receive a lifetime achievement award today from the National Council for Science and the Environment. The school says it "recognizes his decades-long research into the underpinnings of a green economy."
The school says he believes conventional economics does not account for the true costs of environmental degradation, which makes a loss of value appear to be a gain. And that's unsustainable.
"Growth is more of the same stuff; development is the same amount of better stuff," he says. Here's a link to a paper he wrote for the Sustainable Development Commission in the UK.
Daly says his ideas are "gaining attention," but "the dominant view is still very much for growth as usual, or perhaps with a few more regulations."
Others who have received the award include two former heads of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, William Ruckelshaus and Russell Train, and the founder of Earth Day, former U.S. Sen. Gaylord Nelson.
"Herman Daly's intellectual courage and persistence represent far more than personal achievement – they have stimulated and prodded a vital international policy and research debate," says University of Maryland President, C.D. Mote Jr., in a statement. "He embodies intellectual integrity that brings honor to the University, and we congratulate him on this well-deserved recognition."
"He is a giant in the field," said Donald Kettl, dean of the Maryland School of Public Policy, where Daly has been a senior researcher since 1994. "We are very proud to celebrate this national recognition of the way Herman has shaped modern debate on the mega-environmental issues we face. This award is a wonderful and much-deserved recognition of his many contributions to environmental policy."
The International Institute for Sustainable Development has described Daly as "a maverick economist on a mission to give his discipline a heart." http://www.iisd.org/didigest/special/DALY.HTM
Before coming to the university's School of Public Policy, Daly worked for the World Bank as a senior economist. In his time there, he tried to "green" the bank. Here's his farewell speech.
Here's some more information about the National Council Award ceremony and a full conference. The National Council for Science and the Environment is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the scientific basis for environmental decision making.
Photo courtesy of the University of Maryland
Comments
Congratulation to Herman Daly for his outstanding contribution to green economy.
Posted by: Shankar Raj Kandel | January 24, 2010 12:08 PM