Arthur H. Westing (July 18, 1928 – April 30, 2020) was an American ecologist. He was a longtime researcher at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.

Biography

Westing was born in

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

on July 18, 1928, to Dr. Siegfried W. Westing and Paula (Riesenfeld) Westing. Growing up in Brooklyn, he was an

Eagle Scout Eagle Scout is the highest achievement or rank attainable in the Scouts BSA program of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA). Since its inception in 1911, only four percent of Scouts have earned this rank after a lengthy review process. The Eagle S ...

, which instilled in him a love for nature and the environment. Westing then graduated from

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

in 1950 with a B.A. in botany and served in the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...

during the

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

. He returned to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

after the war and earned his master's degree in forestry and doctorate in plant physiology and ecology from

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...

. Westing taught at a number of academic institutions, including

Purdue University Purdue University is a public land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded in 1869 after Lafayette businessman John Purdue donated land and mone ...

, Middlebury College,

Hampshire College Hampshire College is a private liberal arts college in Amherst, Massachusetts. It was opened in 1970 as an experiment in alternative education, in association with four other colleges in the Pioneer Valley: Amherst College, Smith College, Mo ...

, Windham College, and the

University of Massachusetts Amherst The University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass Amherst, UMass) is a public research university in Amherst, Massachusetts and the sole public land-grant university in Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Founded in 1863 as an agricultural college, ...

. He received a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1973. From 1975 to 1987, Westing was a member of the research staff of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. His research focused on the military impact of the environment and was considered an expert in the field of

environmental security Environmental security examines threats posed by environmental events and trends to individuals, communities or nations. It may focus on the impact of human conflict and international relations on the environment, or on how environmental problems c ...

. He also worked for

Peace Research Institute Oslo The Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO; no, Institutt for fredsforskning) is a private research institution in peace and conflict studies, based in Oslo, Norway, with around 100 employees. It was founded in 1959 by a group of Norwegian researcher ...

from 1988 to 1990, where he worked on his project on ‘Peace, Security, and Environment’ funded by the

United Nations Environment Programme The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is responsible for coordinating responses to environmental issues within the United Nations system. It was established by Maurice Strong, its first director, after the United Nations Conference on th ...

. He was a visiting professor at the

European Peace University The European University Center for Peace Studies offered postgraduate political studies from 1990 to 2013 in Stadtschlaining, Austria. The institution was founded in 1988 by Gerald Mader in his capacity as president of the ASPR, with the suppor ...

and Durham University. Westing died on April 30, 2020, in

Shelburne, Vermont Shelburne is a town in Chittenden County, Vermont, United States. Located along the shores of Lake Champlain, Shelburne's town center lies approximately south of the city center of Burlington, the largest city in the state of Vermont. As of the ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Westing, Arthur H. 1928 births 2020 deaths Columbia College (New York) alumni Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies alumni Purdue University faculty University of Massachusetts Amherst faculty Middlebury College faculty Hampshire College faculty American ecologists People from Brooklyn