Dr. David B. Brooks is a natural resource economist whose main interests lie in the linkages between environmental protection and the use of minerals, energy and water. Founding director of the Canadian Office of Energy Conservation, he subsequently worked with Energy Probe and Friends of the Earth Canada. Other experience includes work with Marbek Resource Consultants; the Board of Directors of Ontario Hydroelectric Corporation; Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC); the International Institute for Sustainable Development, and the POLIS Project on Ecological Governance (University of Victoria).
Born in the United States, David was educated in geology at MIT and Cal Tech and received a PhD in economics at the University of Colorado. He has worked in the United States, numerous developing countries and Canada. Much of his research has focused on sustainable alternatives for conventional energy and water policies including water demand management in Israel and Palestine on which he has authored several books. He recently directed the study of water soft paths in Canada, the first such study anywhere in the world; has been elected to The International Water Academy, based in Oslo, Norway; and received an honorary doctor of environmental studies from the University of Waterloo.
David Brooks lives in Ottawa and is a citizen of Canada and of the United States. He is married to author Toby Brooks and has two grown children, Jake and Naomi. Favourite non-professional activities involve canoeing, trail skiing, and Jewish religious studies
