I had always wanted to visit Nepal and between the 9th and 14th of December I finally made the voyage. I participated in a seminar of Sandee (the South Asian Network for Development and Environmental Economists) and spent some time with my colleague and friend Biswo Poudel. The flight to Kathmandu… Continue reading Training Environmental Leaders in Nepal, Sandee Style
Tag: Blog
The GMO labeling debate continued: It’s about the ‘benchmark’
I was amazed by the response to my previous post – and I will try address some of the main points. I found three main themes repeating through the comments. First, it is clear that there are many people who are concerned about the side effects of GMOs and don’t trust biotech companies that produce… Continue reading The GMO labeling debate continued: It’s about the ‘benchmark’
Why labeling of GMOs is actually bad for people and the environment
On November 6th, California voters will be asked to vote on a proposition about labeling of genetically modified (GM) products. On the surface this seems quite reasonable: people should have information about what they consume. In my view, labeling requirements are appropriate when there is undisputed scientific evidence that a food component is damaging, which,… Continue reading Why labeling of GMOs is actually bad for people and the environment
My Chicago “Resurrection” Experience
Many of you have been wondering why I missed my ASSA session in Chicago. Here is what happened: On the Thursday before the conference, I boarded my flight from San Francisco to Chicago. I had had only a small breakfast and a dark chocolate (consistent with my famous diet) for the entire day. On the… Continue reading My Chicago “Resurrection” Experience
New Post in the Berkeley Blog: Hooray for Sustainable Development
Hooray for Sustainable Development
Article in the Brazilian ‘Jornal da UNICAMP’
SCROLL DOWN FOR AN ENGLISH TRANSLATION Bionegócio e bionergia: superando as fronteiras entre setores da economia JOSÉ MARIA F. J. DA SILVEIRA No último dia 15, o Instituto de Economia da Unicamp promoveu o seminário Bioenergia: “Alternativas e Avaliação de Impactos no Brasil e nos EUA”. O Seminário foi organizado para receber os professores… Continue reading Article in the Brazilian ‘Jornal da UNICAMP’
To Brazil and Back
[nggallery id=2] I had a great 9 days in Brazil and was too busy to write. Here is a little summary of what we did and I will write another entry on what we have learned. I went to Brazil with Prof. Madhu Khanna in order to learn the truth about the biofuel sector in… Continue reading To Brazil and Back
Annual Review, 2010
2010 was a year mixed of good and bad. This year Leorah and I became empty nesters for real(several times in the past the kids have left, but boomeranged back). Shie and Leigh moved to Seattle where Shie is running the computer system of the high school and they are both teaching. Beth and Eyal… Continue reading Annual Review, 2010
EBI: Now more important than ever
In 2008, after a competitive bidding process, UC Berkeley, LBNL and University of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign started a ten-year research partnership with BP called the Energy Biosciences Institute (EBI). The goal in creating the EBI was to establish a research program where modern tools of biology are applied to generate new and improved fuels. I contributed to… Continue reading EBI: Now more important than ever
Biotech and the “Greening” of Agriculture
During 2009 I was a member of a National Resource Council (NRC) committee assessing the impact of genetically engineered (GE) crops in US agriculture. When I joined the committee I thought that the main finding will be those of economists, like myself, who realize that GE crops did a lot of good by increasing yields… Continue reading Biotech and the “Greening” of Agriculture