Monday, March 17, 2008
Duane Chapman
Somehow I missed the news that Duane Chapman died last summer — he was only 66 years old. Duane taught environmental economics at Cornell and did pioneering work on several fronts. It was from him that I first learned, back in the mid-1980s, about the importance of the environment-trade nexus; he was years ahead of that curve. He produced a powerful critique of a different sort of curve, Environmental Kuznets, showing that it is an artifact of looking at production rather than consumption footprints. His textbook, Environmental Economics: Theory, Application and Policy, failed to find its audience, but it was sprinkled with analytical gems found nowhere else. While his style could sometimes be a bit gruff, he was never less than warm and supportive to me. I’m grateful I had the opportunity to get to know him.
I went to grad school with Duane & and appreciated his friendship. I invited him once they Chico, where his presentation won accolades all around.
ReplyDeleteI never knew him to be gruff, but he could be somewhat cynical about stupidity, which could be charming unless you were on the receiving end.