Today’s discussion was recorded in April of 2024 and was part of our Sound Economics event. We were joined by our guest, Dr. Willi Semmler.
Dr. Semmler is the Arnhold Professor of International Cooperation and Development at the New School, where he researches macroeconomics, the economics of climate change, and financial markets. He is also a Fellow at Columbia University’s Center on Capitalism and Society and serves as a Trustee at the Henry George School of Social Science. Dr. Semmler has taught at the American University in Washington D.C., the University of Berlin, and the University of Bielefeld in Germany. He authored several books, including Asset Prices, Booms, and Recessions and Sustainable Macroeconomics, Climate Risks, and Energy Transitions. Dr. Semmler studied at the University of Munich and Technical University in Germany and earned his PhD from the Free University of Berlin.
We were joined by Dr. Semmler to discuss why economics should begin considering the environment in its analysis, why environmental risks pose economic risks, and how the profit motive incentivizes conservation or degradation.