Professor Ian Bateman OBE

Exeter economist’s ‘outstanding contribution’ honoured with rare Fellowship

An Exeter economist’s outstanding contribution to his field has been recognised with a rare accolade only awarded to a select few academics.

Professor Ian Bateman OBE has been made a Fellow of the European Association of Environmental and Resource Economics (EARE) in recognition of his research and its influence on governments, policy-makers and the academic community around the world.

The fellowship was awarded at the Association’s annual conference, taking place this year in the Italian city of Rimini. and was collected on Professor Bateman’s behalf by his Business School colleague Professor Ben Groom.

“It is a sincere honour to receive this Fellowship,” said Professor Bateman. “Throughout my career I have been incredibly fortunate to work with the most amazing group of colleagues and nowhere is that more true than here at Exeter where LEEP, SWEEP, the Business School and the wider University have all contributed to the success recognised in this award. Together I feel we have advanced research showing that investment in the natural world is also an investment in economic and human wellbeing.”

In an academic career spanning three decades, Professor Bateman has championed the benefits of integrating biodiversity and nature into economic analysis and decision-making.

He has written more than 170 peer-reviewed journal papers published in the leading journals of economics, natural and physical science and interdisciplinary research. He has also written or edited over a dozen books and is Chief Editor of the journal Environmental and Resource Economics, which under his editorship has become one of the fastest growing journals in the economics and environmental sciences fields, with an Impact Factor of 5. 

In his work as a member of the UK Natural Capital Committee, Professor Bateman has advised governments on agricultural and environmental policy.

He has also acted as adviser to HM Treasury, Defra, the Department for Transport, the Department of Health, NICE and OECD among other bodies.

Last year, Professor Bateman together with colleagues from across the University launched NetZeroPlus, which will deliver valuable insights on how tree-planting can remove harmful greenhouse gas emissions from the atmosphere.

The project forms a vital part of the Greenhouse Gas Removal Demonstrators programme - the largest ever UK government-funded programme to assess greenhouse gas removal methods.

With colleagues in LEEP other recent research successes include developing a new decision-making framework to make it easier for governments to consider the natural environment when making policy.

And in collaboration with colleagues from the US and China he also developed Gross Economic Product (GEP), a new measure of economic growth now endorsed by the United Nations that takes into account the impact of economic activity on the natural environment.

Professor Lisa Roberts, Vice Chancellor of the University of Exeter, said: “Ian’s work is a brilliant example of the University’s commitment to use our education and research to lead progress in terms of meaningful action against the climate emergency and ecological crisis. We are all very proud of his achievements and congratulate him on this prestigious and well-deserved Fellowship.”

Professor Alexandra Gerbasi, Deputy Pro-Vice Chancellor of the Business School, added: “I’d like to congratulate Ian and say how proud I am that his research has had such a far-reaching impact on governments, policy-makers and academic thought around the world.”

Professor Bateman is Co-director of the Business School’s Land, Environment and Economics Policy (LEEP) Institute, as well as Director of SWEEP (the South West Partnership for Environment and Economic Prosperity), a member of Exeter’s Global Systems Institute and the Economics Department.

Professor Bateman is also a Fellow of the British Academy and the US National Academy of Sciences.

In 2013 he received an OBE for his contribution to environmental policy.

Date: 5 July 2022