Charting Asia's Transformation To Sustainable Development

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Charting Asia's Transformation To Sustainable Development

Professor Jeffrey D. Sachs

1 November 2017

5.30pm - 7.00pm

SMU Mochtar Riady Auditorium

Singapore

Asia is a central player in the global economy, contributing half of the world's production and hosting over half of its population. But this growth comes with many environmental challenges. Asia's future depends on its successful transition towards sustainable development. A comprehensive framework like the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) is therefore needed for analysing, planning, fostering accountability, engaging in politics, and mobilising social efforts.

Professor Jeffrey Sachs discussed the key hurdles Asia faces, including the need to conserve biodiversity, shift towards low-carbon energy sources, expand quality education, address income inequalities, and foster technological innovation. He also examined the application of the SDG framework at local, national, and regional scales, and its relevance for businesses and civil society actors.

Asia's economy, population, and environment make sustainable development crucial for global progress.
Asia's most significant challenges include biodiversity, clean energy, education, equity, and technological innovation.
The Sustainable Development Goals framework provides a holistic approach to key challenges at local, national and regional levels.

Speaker

Professor Jeffrey D. Sachs

Top 3 Most Influential Economists in the World

On the topic of food sustainability

The way we produce food is not sustainable. And it's (getting) worse than that because climate change is undermining the food system we have ... there's more instability (arising from) thermal stress, droughts, floods, and (ultimately leading to) an instability of the food system.

The way we produce food is not sustainable. And it's (getting) worse than that because climate change is undermining the food system we have ... there's more instability (arising from) thermal stress, droughts, floods, and (ultimately leading to) an instability of the food system.

Jeffrey D. Sachs
Top 3 Most Influential Economists in the World

What the world does need is an integrated structure of a shared infrastructure that links China, Southeast Asia, Central Asia, Western Asia and Europe together. If we could take the politics out and put the thinking, the knowledge and the goodwill in, we will achieve sustainable development.