Francis Hopkirk Ackerman (October 17, 1946 – July 15, 2019) was an American economist known for his work in environmental economics, particularly in the areas of

climate change Present-day climate change includes both global warming—the ongoing increase in Global surface temperature, global average temperature—and its wider effects on Earth's climate system. Climate variability and change, Climate change in ...

and development. He is also known as a founder of the magazine '' Dollars & Sense''.

Life

Ackerman was born in

Madison, Wisconsin Madison is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is the List of municipalities in Wisconsin by population, second-most populous city in the state, with a population of 269,840 at the 2020 Uni ...

, the son of Eugene Ackerman and Dorothy née Hopkirk. He received his bachelor's degree in mathematics and economics at

Swarthmore College Swarthmore College ( , ) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1864, with its first classes held in 1869, Swarthmore is one of the e ...

, followed by a PhD in economics from

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

. He lived most of his life in

Somerville, Massachusetts Somerville ( ) is a city located directly to the northwest of Boston, and north of Cambridge, Massachusetts, Cambridge, in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the city had a total population of 81, ...

and

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is a suburb in the Greater Boston metropolitan area, located directly across the Charles River from Boston. The city's population as of the 2020 United States census, ...

Writings

A prominent critic of conventional economic approaches to climate and their use of cost–benefit analysis, he has written for academic and popular presses and directed studies for government agencies and nongovernmental organizations. Ackerman's last books were ''NAFTA 2.0: For People or Polluters? A Climate Denier's Trade Deal versus a Clean Energy Economy'' (2018) and ''Worst-Case Economics: Extreme Events in Climate and Finance'' (Anthem Press, 2017). His other books include ''Can We Afford the Future? Economics for a Warming World'' (Zed Books, 2009), ''Poisoned for Pennies: The Economics of Toxics and Precaution'' (Island Press, 2008), and ''Priceless: On Knowing the Price of Everything and the Value of Nothing'' (The New Press, 2004, with Lisa Heinzerling).

Institutions

Ackerman was a senior economist at Synapse Energy Economics, a public interest-oriented consulting firm in Cambridge, MA. Before joining Synapse in 2012, he held research positions at the Stockholm Environment Institute's US Center, at Tufts University's Global Development and Environment Institute, and at the Tellus Institute. He taught at

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1861, MIT has played a significant role in the development of many areas of moder ...

Tufts University Tufts University is a private research university in Medford and Somerville, Massachusetts, United States, with additional facilities in Boston and Grafton, as well as Talloires, France. Tufts also has several Doctor of Physical Therapy p ...

and the University of Massachusetts. Ackerman was a co-founder and steering committee member of the Economics for Equity and the Environment Network, and a member scholar of the Center for Progressive Reform. He was a co-founder and editor of the magazine '' Dollars & Sense''.

References

External links

Frank Ackerman personal webpage
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ackerman, Frank Economists from Wisconsin Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences alumni Tufts University faculty Climate economists 1946 births 2019 deaths Writers from Madison, Wisconsin University of Massachusetts faculty American magazine founders Swarthmore College alumni 21st-century American economists