Economist Prakash Mishra studies trade-offs between nature conservation and economic growth
Prakash Mishra, an economist at Caltech, discusses balancing environmental protection with development using global data.
Early interest shifted to economics
Mishra grew up in North Carolina and initially wanted to study physics or astrophysics. He received a telescope as a child but eventually earned an economics degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 2019.
Research focuses on protected land
His current work examines how preserving natural services like carbon sequestration affects economic outcomes. A recent paper analyzed vegetation cover and nighttime lights across the European Union over four decades.
Findings challenge common assumptions
The study found no measurable negative impact on economic activity in protected areas. Mishra argues that policy decisions should use continent-scale data to inform hard trade-offs.
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