Allen V. Kneese
Allen Victor Kneese, a pioneer in environmental economics, died in 2001 at the age of 70. A senior fellow at RFF, Kneese played a crucial role in developing the economic principles that have become increasingly influential in environmental policy worldwide over the past half-century.
When Kneese joined RFF in 1961, economists were beginning to conclude that shortages of natural resources would not stop economic growth—and that the greater threat was the rising pollution that growth was creating. People had started "to raise the idea that you have all these waste materials coming along and maybe that's where the more important problems lie—in those quality problems rather than the quantity problems," Kneese said in a 1999 interview.
Kneese was the first to recognize and model the relations of air, water, and other forms of pollution. Many economic historians believe he single-handedly kept alive the idea of using economic incentives to encourage environmental improvements. In 1990, he and John V. Krutilla won the first Volvo Environment Prize. The citation said that they "founded resource and environmental economics as a research discipline" and that they "lead the field in combining the sciences of economics and ecology."
In addition, Kneese was the first president of the Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, and was a founding editor of the Journal of Environmental Economics and Management.
Read more about Allen Kneese's legacy: In Appreciation: Allen V. Kneese
Featured Content
- Highlights
- Editorial
Resources Magazine — Feb 25, 2022
One Strategy for Pollution Control
The insights from Allen V. Kneese in his 1970s article about waste discharge into US waterways are as true today as in 1970. He argues that industries can reduce waste discharges at low cost if they are given a proper incentive to do so.
Resources Magazine — Jun 15, 2020
Confronting Future Environmental Challenges
In this article drawn from an archived issue of Resources, Allen V. Kneese reflects on environmental challenges during the 20th anniversary of Earth Day in 1990.
Resources Magazine — Jan 31, 1998
Industrial Ecology and “Getting the Prices Right”
Industrial ecologists are employing innovative technologies and other inducements to curb environmental degradation. Fixing the markets could accelerate—and simplify—progress toward their goal.
Resources Magazine — May 1, 1990
Confronting Future Environmental Challenges
In retrospect, the environmental problems of 1970 seem rather straightforward; looking ahead, those of 1990 appear much more daunting.
Resources Magazine — Feb 25, 2022
One Strategy for Pollution Control
The insights from Allen V. Kneese in his 1970s article about waste discharge into US waterways are as true today as in 1970. He argues that industries can reduce waste discharges at low cost if they are given a proper incentive to do so.
Resources Magazine — Jun 15, 2020
Confronting Future Environmental Challenges
In this article drawn from an archived issue of Resources, Allen V. Kneese reflects on environmental challenges during the 20th anniversary of Earth Day in 1990.
Resources Magazine — Jan 31, 1998
Industrial Ecology and “Getting the Prices Right”
Industrial ecologists are employing innovative technologies and other inducements to curb environmental degradation. Fixing the markets could accelerate—and simplify—progress toward their goal.
Resources Magazine — May 1, 1990
Confronting Future Environmental Challenges
In retrospect, the environmental problems of 1970 seem rather straightforward; looking ahead, those of 1990 appear much more daunting.