I’m an economist at the Environmental Defense Fund. That makes me an environmental economist and, as such, wholly unsuited to discuss the Fed’s latest interest rate decision. I can, however, tell you why fish are dying, eagles aren’t, and why most daily acts of do-goodism amount to precious little.
That’s also the premise of my new book coming out this October: But Will the Planet Notice? Your not driving, not eating meat, or refusing the plastic bag and recycling the paper one won’t make a difference. By all means, don’t let me stop you from doing all these things. If it makes you feel good, go for it; if you are the Pope and billions take their cues from you, bless you; and most importantly, you taking the hit now will only prepare you for the time when all of us need to be following your lead.
So as I was saying, I don’t drive. I’ve been a vegetarian since one fateful Austrian Christmas dinner in 2009. And I generally try to be a good environmentalist.
I also teach energy economics at Columbia. That class very much takes my book’s premise as a starting point, as any good economics class should. In the end, it’s about guiding market forces and, thus, the decisions of billions—not about individual volunteerism.
As my first name might have given away, I spent 17 fun years between Vienna and Salzburg before coming to the States for college. (My two brothers’ names, by the way: Michael and Robert, both of whom live in Austria. As for mine, it’s pronounced like “juggernaut” without the “jug.”)
College is also where I met my wife. She has since become an obstetrician, which made the birth of our son earlier this year rather convenient.
If you were looking for something copy-and-pasteable and slightly more staid, check out my third-person bio.