James Boyd
Senior Fellow and Thomas Klutznick Chair in Environmental Policy; Director, Land Use, Forestry, and Agriculture Program
James Boyd is a senior fellow and Thomas Klutznick Chair in Environmental Policy at RFF, where he directs the Land Use, Forestry, and Agriculture (LUFA) program. He conducts policy and economic analysis related to forestry, nature-based climate solutions, and natural resource management. He earned his PhD from the Wharton Business School at the University of Pennsylvania, and has been a visiting professor at Stanford University and Washington University in St Louis. He previously codirected the National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center (SESYNC). Boyd works with diverse partners from government, nongovernmental organizations, and private-sector institutions, and emphasizes close collaboration between decisionmakers and academic researchers to generate science that is useful and practical in real-world settings.
Education
- PhD in economics, Wharton Business School, University of Pennsylvania, 1993
- BA in history, University of Michigan, 1986
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Explainer — Apr 14, 2021
Federal Climate Policy 107: Land Use, Forestry, and Agriculture
Federal Climate Policy 107: Land Use, Forestry, and Agriculture
Journal Article — Apr 6, 2020
Private‐sector conservation under the US Endangered Species Act: a return‐on‐investment perspective
Private‐sector conservation under the US Endangered Species Act: a return‐on‐investment perspective
Journal Article — Feb 18, 2020
The IPBES Global Assessment: Pathways to Action
The IPBES Global Assessment is a significant milestone for the international scientific community; the critical challenge now is to disseminate and apply its findings where decisions affecting biodiversity and ecosystem services are made.
Report — Sep 4, 2019
Environmental Projects in Urban Areas: Analysis to Support Corps of Engineers Project Planning and Budgeting
Environmental Projects in Urban Areas: Analysis to Support Corps of Engineers Project Planning and Budgeting
Explainer — Apr 14, 2021
Federal Climate Policy 107: Land Use, Forestry, and Agriculture
Federal Climate Policy 107: Land Use, Forestry, and Agriculture
Journal Article — Apr 6, 2020
Private‐sector conservation under the US Endangered Species Act: a return‐on‐investment perspective
Private‐sector conservation under the US Endangered Species Act: a return‐on‐investment perspective
Journal Article — Feb 18, 2020
The IPBES Global Assessment: Pathways to Action
The IPBES Global Assessment is a significant milestone for the international scientific community; the critical challenge now is to disseminate and apply its findings where decisions affecting biodiversity and ecosystem services are made.
Report — Sep 4, 2019
Environmental Projects in Urban Areas: Analysis to Support Corps of Engineers Project Planning and Budgeting
Environmental Projects in Urban Areas: Analysis to Support Corps of Engineers Project Planning and Budgeting
RFF Live — Sep 7, 2022
Sparking Solutions: The Fuels Management Challenge and Opportunity
Examining the role of fuels management in mitigating the impacts and intensity of wildfires
Speeches & Presentations — Dec 10, 2018
2018 American Geophysical Union (AGU) Fall Meeting
2018 American Geophysical Union (AGU) Fall Meeting
Workshops — Sep 9, 2015
Reforming Today’s Conservation and Environmental Policies for Tomorrow’s Scarcity (and Abundance)
Reforming Today’s Conservation and Environmental Policies for Tomorrow’s Scarcity (and Abundance)
Workshops — May 27, 2015
Creative Conservation: How Humanity Innovates to Protect Nature
Creative Conservation: How Humanity Innovates to Protect Nature
In Focus — Feb 24, 2023
In Focus: Changing Land Use Policies in the Amazon
This video shares insights on deforestation in the Amazon rainforest: the current pace of environmental destruction and why the Amazon is important to the health of the climate, with RFF Senior Fellow James Boyd.
Resources Radio — Nov 15, 2022
Fostering the Forest Economy in the United States, with James Boyd
James Boyd discusses the role of forests in climate change mitigation and how recent legislation in the United States could affect US forests.
Resources Magazine — Oct 19, 2022
Nature-Based Forestry and Agriculture Solutions
Resources for the Future will explore ways to expand nature-based greenhouse gas storage and removal, reduce emissions related to agriculture and wildfires, and harness the nation’s lands to meet climate goals and sustain people and ecosystems.
Resources Magazine — Feb 25, 2022
What’s Nature Worth? Using Indicators to Open the Black Box of Ecological Valuation
James Boyd’s Resources article, more than 15 years deep in the magazine archive, aims to demystify the economic valuation of nature to decisionmakers—an ongoing task at Resources for the Future.
Media Highlight — Aug 20, 2021
The Uncomfortable Balance Between Biodiversity and Carbon Capture
The Uncomfortable Balance Between Biodiversity and Carbon Capture
Media Highlight — Mar 4, 2016
Government: Plan for Ecosystem Services
Government: Plan for Ecosystem Services
Media Highlight — Jan 27, 2016
Environment vs. Economy: A Shift in American Opinion
Environment vs. Economy: A Shift in American Opinion
Media Highlight — Oct 21, 2010
Time to tally BP oil spill's toll on wildlife, habitat
Time to tally BP oil spill's toll on wildlife, habitat