In an opinion piece, noted economist Jeffrey Sachs explores what it will take to achieve the 'triple bottom line' of sustainable development, which the UN puts at the top of the global agenda.
Taking a new report issued by the UN's Global Sustainability Panel as his jumping off point, Sachs explores the economic, social, and environmental pillars of sustainable development, the foremost global issues of our time. "The GSP rightly notes that sustainable development has three pillars: ending extreme poverty; ensuring that prosperity is shared by all, including women, youth, and minorities; and protecting the natural environment."
Sachs see the promise of technology, coupled with an embrace of common values, as the key to solving our collective challenges.
"The benefits of information and communications technologies can be found in every area of human activity: better farming using GPS and micro-dosing of fertilizers; precision manufacturing; buildings that know how to economize on energy use; and, of course, the transformative, distance-erasing power of the Internet....Yet getting from here to sustainable development will not just be a matter of technology."
FULL STORY: Sustainable Humanity

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This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
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