About this Course

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The Age of Sustainable Development" gives students an understanding of the key challenges and pathways to sustainable development - that is, economic development that is also socially inclusive and environmentally sustainable.

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Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Flexible deadlines

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Approx. 38 hours to complete

Suggested: 2 hours of lectures per module...

English

Subtitles: English, Chinese (Simplified)

Skills you will gain

EnergySustainable EnergyUrban PlanningEnvironmental Protection

100% online

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Flexible deadlines

Reset deadlines in accordance to your schedule.

Approx. 38 hours to complete

Suggested: 2 hours of lectures per module...

English

Subtitles: English, Chinese (Simplified)

Syllabus - What you will learn from this course

Week

1

1 hour to complete

Course Materials

Information about the general course structure and reading list can be found here.

3 readings

3 readings

Suggested Readings for The Age of Sustainable Development10m

Syllabus10m

Course Overview10m

1 hour to complete

What is Sustainable Development?

Professor Sachs provides an overview of the challenges the world faces, and introduces the topic of sustainable development.

5 videos (Total 67 min), 1 quiz

5 videos

Intro to Sustainable Development11m

Economic Growth and Progress14m

Continuing Poverty14m

Environmental Threats10m

Paths16m

1 practice exercise

QUIZ: What is Sustainable Development?20m

Week

2

2 hours to complete

Inequality Around the World

Professor Sachs delves into the reasons for and the measurements of inequality between and within countries.

5 videos (Total 73 min), 1 quiz

5 videos

Incomes Around the World16m

Urban/Rural Inequality12m

Income Inequality Within Countries13m

Measuring Wellbeing14m

Convergence or Divergence?14m

1 practice exercise

QUIZ: Inequality Around the World20m

Week

3

2 hours to complete

A Short History of Economic Development

Professor Sachs provides a history of economic development, starting with the Industrial Revolution and ending with the current state of modern economic growth.

5 videos (Total 78 min), 1 quiz

5 videos

Economic Development is New12m

The Industrial Revolution Starts in England12m

The Great Waves of Technological Change14m

The Diffusion of Economic Growth16m

Economic Development Since World War II21m

1 practice exercise

QUIZ: A Short History of Economic Development 20m

Week

4

2 hours to complete

The History of Inequality

Professor Sachs analyzes the intersecting roles of various factors that contribute to some countries advancing while others do not.

5 videos (Total 80 min), 1 quiz

5 videos

The Idea of Clinical Economics14m

The Role of Physical Geography: Transport, Energy, Disease, and Crops17m

The Role of Culture: Demography, Education, Gender 17m

The Role of Politics 15m

Which Countries are Still Stuck in Poverty?15m

1 practice exercise

QUIZ: The History of Inequality20m

Week

5

2 hours to complete

The MDGs and the End of Extreme Poverty

Professor Sachs outlines the pathways for achieving the end of extreme poverty.

5 videos (Total 92 min), 1 quiz

5 videos

The Reasons to Believe that Extreme Poverty Can Be Ended15m

A Strategy to End Extreme Poverty in Africa19m

South Asia: The Continuing Challenge of the Food Supply21m

A Closer Look at Official Development Assistance16m

Designing Practical Interventions: The Case of Millennium Villages18m

1 practice exercise

QUIZ: The MDGs and the End of Extreme Poverty 20m

Week

6

2 hours to complete

Growth within Planetary Boundaries

Professor Sachs details the various planetary boundaries and their implications for growth dynamics.

5 videos (Total 103 min), 1 quiz

5 videos

The Planetary Boundaries20m

Growth Dynamics18m

Growth and Planetary Boundaries: The Case of Energy (22:04)22m

Growth and Planetary Boundaries: The Case of Food (20:06)20m

Growth and Planetary Boundaries: The Case of Population (21:31)21m

1 practice exercise

QUIZ: Growth within Planetary Boundaries 20m

Week

7

2 hours to complete

Human Rights and Gender Equality

Professor Sachs delves into the ethics of wealth, poverty and inequality as well as the forces that widen inequalities.

5 videos (Total 117 min), 1 quiz

5 videos

The Ethics of Wealth, Poverty, and Inequality21m

Major UN Covenants and Declarations20m

Divided societies22m

Forces of Widening Inequalities26m

Gender Inequality and Solutions26m

1 practice exercise

QUIZ: Human Rights and Gender Equality 20m

Week

8

2 hours to complete

Education

Professor Sachs provides an overview of the state of modern education, and what needs to be achieved for sustainable development.

5 videos (Total 84 min), 1 quiz

5 videos

Life-cycle Approach to Human Development15m

Early Childhood Development16m

The Rising Returns to Education and the Supply Response14m

Social Mobility15m

The Role of Higher Education in Sustainable Development21m

1 practice exercise

QUIZ: Education20m

Week

9

2 hours to complete

Universal Health Coverage

Professor Sachs provides an overview of the challenges and pathways to achieving universal health coverage.

5 videos (Total 121 min), 1 quiz

5 videos

The Human Right to Health 29m

Poverty and Disease21m

Designing and Financing a Primary Health System in Low-Income Settings23m

Ten Recommended Steps to Health for All in the Poorest Countries18m

The Challenges of Health Coverage in High-Income Countries28m

1 practice exercise

QUIZ: Universal Health Coverage20m

Week

10

2 hours to complete

Sustainable Food Supply and the End of Hunger

Professor Sachs provides an overview of food security, farm systems, and ecology and reviews what can be done to achieve a sustainable global food supply.

5 videos (Total 103 min), 1 quiz

5 videos

Malnutrition21m

Farm Systems, Ecology, and Food Security19m

How Environmental Change Threatens the Food System17m

How the Food System Threatens the Environment21m

Towards a sustainable global food supply23m

1 practice exercise

QUIZ: Sustainable Food Supply and the End of Hunger20m

Week

11

2 hours to complete

Sustainable Cities

Professor Sachs looks into what makes a city sustainable, the patterns of urbanization, and pathways for urban resilience around the world.

5 videos (Total 104 min), 1 quiz

5 videos

The patterns of urbanization around the world23m

What makes a city sustainable? 15m

Smart Infrastructure23m

Urban Resilience22m

Planning for Sustainable Development19m

1 practice exercise

QUIZ: Sustainable Cities20m

Week

12

2 hours to complete

Curbing Climate Change

Professor Sachs provides an introduction to the science behind climate change, and describes the negotiations and policies that are necessary to mitigate and prevent the consequences.

5 videos (Total 97 min), 1 quiz

5 videos

The Basic Science of Climate Change17m

Consequences17m

Mitigation19m

Mitigation Policies21m

Policies and Global Cooperation for Climate Change20m

1 practice exercise

QUIZ: The Basic Science of Climate Change and Consequences 20m

Week

13

2 hours to complete

Saving Biodiversity

Professor Sachs reviews the various threats to the world's ecosystem and biodiversity.

5 videos (Total 107 min), 1 quiz

5 videos

What is Biodiversity? 18m

Biodiversity Under Threat 24m

Oceans and Fisheries 21m

Deforestation 17m

International Dynamics 24m

1 practice exercise

QUIZ: Saving Biodiversity20m

Week

14

3 hours to complete

The SDGs

Professor Sachs recounts the history of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and describes what is necessary to achieve them.

5 videos (Total 110 min), 2 quizzes

5 videos

The proposal for SDGs at Rio+2024m

Goal Based Development24m

Financing for Sustainable Development23m

Principles of Good Governance12m

Feasibility of Sustainable Development25m

2 practice exercises

QUIZ: The SDGs20m

Final Exam1h 10m

Instructor

Jeffrey Sachs

Director, Earth Institute; Quetelet Professor of Sustainable Development; Professor of Health Policy and Management

Frequently Asked Questions

When will I have access to the lectures and assignments?
Once you enroll for a Certificate, you’ll have access to all videos, quizzes, and programming assignments (if applicable). Peer review assignments can only be submitted and reviewed once your session has begun. If you choose to explore the course without purchasing, you may not be able to access certain assignments.

More questions? Visit the Learner Help Center.

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The Age of Sustainable Development