John Talberth
John Talberth
Senior Economist
jtalberth@wri.org+1 (202) 729-7704
Dr. John Talberth is a Senior Economist serving multiple programs and projects at WRI including its Climate and Energy Program, People and Ecosystem Program and work on the Post-2015 Development Agenda. His current projects include the economics of climate change adaptation in the Mekong River Basin, developing a new methodology for examining the economic tradeoffs between conventional “gray” infrastructure like seawalls and green infrastructure investments in wetlands or mangroves, and providing economic analysis on food, energy and water issues in the context of the emerging Post-2015 development agenda. John also provides technical support for WRI’s work on the Chesapeake Bay nutrient trading strategy. John specializes in ecosystem services valuation and markets, sustainable development, sustainability indicators, and the economics of public policies.
John has over 25 years’ experience providing expert support to conservation initiatives of non-governmental organizations, government agencies, and businesses. Prior to joining WRI, Dr. Talberth led the Sustainability Indicators Program at Redefining Progress and served as senior economist for Center for Sustainable Economy (CSE), a non-profit environmental economics consulting firm. Dr. Talberth was co-founder of CSE in 2003 and retains his position as President. Prior to working at CSE, Dr. Talberth served as Executive Director of Forest Conservation Council where he led a national campaign to protect forests critical for the northern and Mexican spotted owls from unsustainable logging operations.
Dr. Talberth holds a Ph.D. in environmental and international economics from the University of New Mexico and an MA in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Oregon. John also holds a dual BA in economics and government from the College of William and Mary in Virginia.
John now lives in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Washington, D.C. He moved from Santa Fe New Mexico where he lived for 17 years.
