Peter Berck

Peter Berck (April 26, 1950 – August 10, 2018) was an American economist.

Overview: He studied mathematics at the University of California, Berkeley, and completed a doctorate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1976. Berck returned to Berkeley as a faculty member and was named the S.J. Hall Professor of Forest Economics.

Background: Peter grew up in New York, attended UC Berkeley, and earned a PhD in economics from MIT. Returning to Berkeley, he spent his academic career of nearly 42 years in UC Berkeley’s Department of Agricultural & Resource Economics, College of Natural Resources.

Peter was one of the world’s foremost environmental economists; he did practical research on farming, forests, fisheries, pollution, energy and climate. More importantly, he was a beloved teacher and mentor to generations of students and colleagues.

He bravely fought cancer, and during his final weeks, close to a thousand of his students and collègues wrote tributes about him for his open door policy, good advice, hearty laugh, and genuine caring.

A citizen of the world, Peter became an honorary Swede during two sabbatical years; promoted agricultural research partnerships with Israel; climbed the Great Wall with Chinese colleagues; and bubbled with excitement at seeing African wildlife as part of conservation research.

He was an honored teacher, a pioneer in his field, an author, and a beloved husband, father, and grandfather.