Environmental Economics Task Force Meeting, New York 2003

The first Environmental and Sustainable Development task force meeting was held in October 2003 at Columbia University. Each task force member had the opportunity to present his/her work to the group, to get feedback on the final papers, and discuss any points that could be developed more. It also gives the opportunity for task force members to work together to ensure subjects are not missing or repeated in multiple papers.

The meeting was split into three distinct sessions. The first session included overview presentations. Edward Barbier, of the University of Wyoming, presented his paper about resource degradation and poverty. Robert Deacon, of the University of California at Santa Barbara, and Bernardo Mueller, of the University of Brasilia, presented their paper on the political economy of resource use and economic development. Kirk Hamilton, of the World Bank, finished the session by presenting his paper entitled "Measuring Development Prospects by 'Greening' the National Accounts."

The second session addressed the macroeconomics of sustainability. Brian Copeland and Sumeet Gulati, both of the University of British Columbia, presented their work on the subject of trade and the environment. Ramon Lopez wrote a paper addressing structural adjustment, natural resources, and well-being in least developed countries. Jon Strand, of the University of Oslo, presented his work on macroeconomic policies and the environment and Thomas Sterner, of the University of Sweden, examined institutions for sustainable resource management in his paper. These papers could be especially useful for policymakers because they address specific policy tools and options on the macro level.

The third session of the task force meeting, held the second day of the conference, discussed the microeconomics of sustainability. R. Maria Saleth, from the International Water Management Institute, reported on his paper on water resource management. Alan Krupnick also presented his contribution on urban air quality.