The Age of Sustainable Development

La questione del nostro futuro commune, come umanita e come pianeta si trova in questo articolo. Non ci sono tutte le risposte, pero, l'argumento ci aiuta ad avere una coscienza molto sensibile ai questioni relativi a una ecologia integrale

I bought this book for one of my classes in a doctoral programme at Royal Roads University. The book came in a very perfect condition and delivered timely as well. I am enjoying its use "big time". I love it.

Sustainable development is recognized today both as the only strategy to deal with many of the current crisis affecting the planet and also as the only way to avert what some scientists call the “sixth extinction.” While the previous planetary extinctions were due to natural causes (meteorites and volcanic activity), the next one would be caused by humans. We are living in an exceptional moment where we can witness important progress in many areas, but also many setbacks and increasing disparities, and this outstanding book offers a comprehensive assessment of the current state of affairs. It is well written, in a clear language, with abundant explanations, graphs and tables. The book arrives at a critical moment when scholars, politicians, nations, and the international community are all becoming engaged in finding realistic solutions to the increasing disparities within and among nations, and to respond to the deterioration of our environmental conditions. The creation of the United Nations was centred on two main pillars: to maintain peace and security, and to cooperate in solving economic and social problems. These two pillars are strongly interrelated in a causal reinforcing loop: we need peace to have development, and we need development to have peace. Some decades later, environmental issues were also identified as a major area of concern and in the early 1970s the term “sustainable development” was coined and gained a high visibility as it made clear that social and economic advancement should also take into consideration the needs of future generations. Professor Sachs makes a captivating overview of this evolution. Nowadays, the notion of sustainability has acquired a prominent place as the United Nations embarks in a new global strategy. Nobody other than Professor Sachs has the outstanding credentials to deal with such a difficult subject. He is the Director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University, Director of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network, and has been Special Advisor to UN Secretary-Generals, Kofi Annan and Ban Ki-moon. After surveying current inequalities and explaining the causes of poverty, he analyses the major “planetary boundaries” that mark humans as “trespasser of our own planet.” Among these boundaries, nitrogen flux (from fertilizer use), biodiversity loss, and climate change are identified as critical. He reviews in detail the major components of sustainable development, namely, social inclusion, economic development, and improving the environment, and concludes by bringing an important fourth element that would make the effort a success: good governance. In spite of the gloomy picture presented in the book, and “the miserable politics of many of these issues,” Professor Sachs affirms that “we can make a breakthrough … [because] things can change ... [and] ideas count.” One of the major contributions of this important book is the recognition of the synergistic interconnection between the components of sustainable development (social, economic and environment), where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. And Professor Sachs tells us that such a new path is possible if we change our behaviour, our preferences, our life style, our consumption patterns, or, as ancient thinkers would tell us, if we have more respect for others and for nature, and if we can control our appetites and our tendency to be greedy.

O livro possui conteúdo atualizado, ótima encadernação e qualidade de folhas. A entrega ocorreu no prazo. Este livro acrescenta informções importantes para minha carreira profissional.

I hav done a course on course era and i think this book must find a place in all the libraries Every youth must know the contents