It was with great sadness that we heard of the passing of Bernard Herber on September 21, 2014. Bernie was an internationally acclaimed economist, with a special interest in the Antarctic. He was involved with the executive committee of the SCAR Social Sciences Action Group, and was known to many of our members.
Alan Hemmings remembers Bernie below:
“I should say that Bernie first contacted me in the 1990s when his interest in Antarctica awakened. The title of one of his earliest papers (in Polar Record) gives you a sense of the basis upon which he engaged with Antarctica: ‘The economic case for an Antarctic World Park in light of recent policy developments’. He is the only economist I have ever known who showed an interest in the place – and his writing was about preserving the place and not converting it into dollars. The title of one of his earliest papers (in Polar Record Vol 28, 1992) says it all: “The economic case for an Antarctic World Park in light of recent policy developments”. There is a nice collection of his thoughts in a 2007 book entitled Protecting the Antarctic Commons: Problems of Economic Efficiency, published by the Udall Centre at the University of Arizona.”
- An online obituary and condolences book has been set up at Dignity Memorial. Bernie’s passing is a great loss to our community.