Harvard Project Director Robert Stavins is Inducted as a Fellow of the Association of Environmental and Resource Economists

Harvard Kennedy School's Professor Robert Stavins, director of the Harvard Environmental Economics Program and a member of the Belfer Center's board of directors, was inducted as a Fellow of the Association of Environmental and Resource Economists (AERE) on January 4, 2010.

AERE President Kathleen Segerson introduced Stavins saying, "It is hard to over-state his impact on the integration of principles from environmental economics into public policy debates."

"Rob has focused much of his efforts on what once appeared to be a daunting task, namely, infusing consideration of economic logic and principles into debates about climate change policies," Segerson said. "The fact that cap-and-trade is such an integral part of the current negotiations is a testament to his efforts."

Stavins, also director of the Harvard Project on International Climate Agreements, was selected as one of 2009's three Fellows for "his remarkable efforts and success in promoting the use of market-based approaches to environmental policy, in general, and, more specifically, his influential role in elevating the concept of cap-and-trade to its current prominent role in the debates over climate change policy; his uncanny ability to straddle the academic and policy communities, and to communicate research results to the policymakers; and his many contributions to graduate education and extensive service to our profession."

Instituted in 2005, 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.