Richard B. Norgaard

Organizations: Richard B. Norgaard (born August 18, 1943) is a professor emeritus of ecological economics in the Energy and Resources Group[1] at the University of California, Berkeley, the first chair and a continuing member of the independent science board of CALFED (California Bay-Delta Authority),[2] and a founding member and former president of the International Society for Ecological Economics.

At an early age, he was interested in white water rafting, and was introduced to the sport by a friend, whose father, Lou Elliott, worked for the Sierra Club coordinating river trips.

Norgaard continued in the business of white water rafting, quickly becoming a head boatman, and bounced around many guiding companies including one that Lou Elliott eventually founded after his career at The Sierra Club.

Since 2004, following the election of George W. Bush to a second term, Norgaard has been seen wearing only black colored attire, a silent yet visible protest against the folly of American electorate and the rise of anti-government, market fundamentalism, and "know-nothingism".

He published an influential paper in 1975 that showed that farmers who hired an independent pest-control expert had higher profits and used half as much pesticide as those who relied on the advice of agribusiness representatives.

His research emphasizes how the resolution of complex socio-environmental problems challenges modern beliefs about science and policy and explores development as a process of coevolution between social and environmental systems.

His writing is informed through work on energy, environment, and development issues around the globe with different periods of his efforts emphasizing Alaska, Brazil, and California.

Norgaard also is continuing to lead the Bay Delta Conservation Plan of the Independent Science Board of CALFED (California Bay-Delta Authority).