A photograph of Peter Berck and Gunnar Kohlin, standing.

Peter Berck and Gunnar Köhlin, University of Gothenburg, Sweden, at the granting of Peter’s honorary doctorate. October 16 , 2015.

A photograph of Peter Berck presenting with a projector sheet behind him.

A presentation at the annual meeting and conference of the Environment for Development Initiative.

Peter Berck made major contributions to the Environment for Development Initiative (EfD). This Swedish-based initiative brings together environmental economics research centers all over the Global South in pursuit of sustainable development. Funded by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), it is based at the University of Gothenburg, with research institution partners in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. EfD focuses on policy-relevant research, policy engagement, and capacity development, with a vision of “Inclusive sustainable development in the Global South founded on evidence-based management of the environment, natural resources, and climate change impacts.”

Peter’s death was a severe loss to EfD. Peter was one of the pillars of EfD’s research. But he was so much more than a fantastic colleague—he was also an exceptional person who cared deeply for his friends, students, and colleagues around the world. He was extremely generous with his time and in extending a helping hand. All in all, Peter represented everything that is important to EfD with his commitment and devotion to the environment and development and, most of all, in fostering a new generation of skilled researchers to keep up the struggle for a better world.

Most of us benefited from his constructive comments as editor of EfD’s Discussion Paper series. It was, of course, a fantastic opportunity for EfD to have a previous editor of the prestigious journal, the American Journal of Agricultural Economics (AJAE), managing our DP series. In his role as editor, Peter mentored many young environmental economists in the Global South and helped them improve the impact of their research. Another way to do this was to serve on the EfD Research Committee, which Peter did from 2013 to 2016. It was actually Peter who insisted that EfD should develop a formal research committee with international experts in order to increase the credibility of the research process.

Peter was a wonderful host and mentor to several members of the EfD network who visited the University of California, Berkeley over the years. During the academic year 2013–2014, he was on sabbatical at the Department of Economics, University of Gothenburg, which further deepened his involvement in EfD. Peter’s year in Gothenburg also gave us an opportunity to really get to know him and take our friendship to new heights. We will always remember Peter as a kind, intelligent, humorous, and curious man. We are grateful for the precious time we got with him. Peter will be greatly missed by our global family.

Peter’s wife, Cyndi, said that one of the most fulfilling experiences of their life together was their involvement in EfD. As Peter told EfD’s Thomas Sterner when they exchanged farewell messages, “EfD truly opened our eyes and enriched our lives.” As an international research associate, a founding member of its Research Committee, and the editor-in-chief of its Discussion Paper series, Peter gave a lot to EfD. In turn, EfD gave Peter and his wife and youngest son the chance to visit Africa, China, and Latin America and to deepen their relationships in Scandinavia.

About six months before his death, Peter and Cyndi finalized a volume in the EfD Book Series, entitled “Agricultural Adaptation to Climate Change in Africa: Food Security in a Changing Environment.” With these issues in his mind, one of the questions that Peter proposed for his memorial conference was as follows: “What happens to agricultural yields when farms are relatively autarkic and use animals? For instance, how is yield affected when each farm has to produce its own animal feed? How can this help explain why African yields are so much lower than American?” This question is tackled in Chapter 7, “How Is Farm Income Affected When Each Farm Has To Produce Its Own Animal Feed?.”

Peter would have shared the heartbreak of our Ethiopian friends about the recent tragic events in that ancient land. This section is dedicated to hopes for peace, reconciliation, and continued progress out of poverty.