Jon Strand , a Norwegian national, is a senior economist in the World Bank Development Research Group\'s Environment and Energy Team in Washington, D.C. He also holds (and is on leave from) a chair as professor of economics at the University of Oslo. He works in environmental and energy economics, focusing on climate-related issues. His main research topics are environmental and climate policy design, environmental valuation including the valuation of statistical life, and natural resources issues in developing countries. He has published widely in international economics journals, and has served as a consultant for the OECD, the Inter-American Development Bank, and various Norwegian government agencies. From 2005 to 2008, he was the environmental economist in the IMF\'s Fiscal Affairs Department.