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In this sobering but optimistic manifesto, development economist Sachs (The End of Poverty) argues that the crises facing humanity are daunting-but solutions to them are readily at hand. Sachs focuses on four challenges for the coming decades: heading off global warming and environmental destruction; stabilizing the world's population; ending extreme poverty; and breaking the political logjams that hinder global cooperation on these issues. The author analyses economic data, demographic trends and climate science to create a lucid, accessible and suitably grim exposition of looming problems, but his forte is elaborating concrete, pragmatic, low-cost remedies complete with benchmarks and budgets. Sachs's entire agenda would cost less than 3% of the world's annual income, and he notes that a mere two days' worth of Pentagon spending would fund a comprehensive antimalaria program for Africa, saving countless lives. Forthright government action is the key to avoiding catastrophe, the author contends, not the unilateral, militarized approach to international problems that he claims is pursued by the Bush administration. Combining trenchant analysis with a resounding call to arms, Sachs's book is an important contribution to the debate over the world's future. (Mar.)
Copyright 2007Reed Business InformationIn his first book, The End of Poverty, development economist and UN special adviser Sachs laid out how extreme poverty in places like Africa could be alleviated. Here, he identifies and offers strategies for dealing with the leading global threats of the coming decades, such as environmental degradation, overpopulation, and resource depletion, arguing persuasively that much of the threat to humanity comes from those living in extreme poverty. He calls for wealthy nations to invest in efforts to improve the conditions of the extremely poor and thereby lessen the impact of extreme poverty on the planet. He explains in detail the goals that need to be met and how governments, not-for-profits, the private sector, and even individuals, can cooperate to achieve them. He reserves much of his criticism for the United States, which he says spends far too much on military technology that will prove ineffective in dealing with the true threats to our security. Though Sachs avoids jargon and writes clearly, the book would be heavy going for casual readers. Nevertheless, his work is an eloquent plea and a solid argument for global economic and political cooperation. Highly recommended for most libraries. [See Prepub Alert, LJ4/15/07.]
—Lawrence R. Maxted
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Foreword Edward O. Wilson xi
Part 1 New Economics for the Twenty-first Century
1 Common Challenges, Common Wealth 3
2 Our Crowded Planet 17
Part 2 Environmental Sustainability
3 The Anthropocene 57
4 Global Solutions to Climate Change 83
5 Securing Our Water Needs 115
6 A Home for All Species 139
Part 3 The Demographic Challenge
7 Global Population Dynamics 159
8 Completing the Demographic Transition 183
Part 4 Prosperity for All
9 The Strategy of Economic Development 205
10 Ending Poverty Traps 227
11 Economic Security in a Changing World 255
Part 5 Global Problem Solving
12 Rethinking Foreign Policy 271
13 Achieving Global Goals 291
14 The Power of One 313
Acknowledgments 341
List of Acronyms 347
Notes 349
References 361
Index 371
Jeffrey Sachs is special adviser on the UN's Millennium Development Goals to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon. He urges that the principles of social justice should guide economic forces, not profit, and he argues that problems need diplomacy and development, not war, sanctions and threats. Development brings security, not vice versa.
As he notes, "A world of untrammelled market forces and competing nation-states offer no automatic solutions." "Market forces by themselves do not optimally allocate society's resources." "Market forces alone will not overcome poverty traps."
He shows in detail that market forces cannot deliver R&D or ensure the adoption of new technologies or control population growth or protect the environment or prevent species loss or get medicine to the poorest. The market pays no heed to future generations. As we can all now see, capitalism is self-reinforcing, not self-correcting.
We have the technology, industry and resources to solve all our problems. As Sachs writes, "Earth has the energy, land, biodiversity, and water resources needed to feed humanity and support long-term economic prosperity for all. The problem is that markets might not lead to their wise and sustainable use." He urges countries to convert commons from open-access to community management, not privatise them.
So within each country we need to develop and spread technologies suitable for that country, like carbon capture, drip irrigation, desalination, drought-resistant crops, high-yield wheat (which increased India's harvest from 11 million metric tons in 1960 to 55 million in 1990), vaccines for tropical diseases, and turning coal into petrol by Fischer-Tropsch liquefaction.
Within each country, we should promote welfare. Social welfare states like Denmark and Finland do better than free market states like Britain and the USA. They have higher employment rates, higher GNPs per person and more equality. We can cut fertility rates, and therefore increase growth, by providing free access to health services, especially emergency obstetric care and family planning services, and by improving child survival rates.
This is a humane and hopeful book. Sachs proves that we can raise incomes, end extreme poverty, stabilise the population, protect the environment and establish peace. Each needs public action, public funding, long-term thinking and planning, and we all have to take the responsibility.
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Posted January 6, 2012
Perfect for Communists and those rich enough to never have to worry about money.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.YourBrotherBob
Posted January 24, 2010
I loved this book. I was impressed with Sach's view of causality. Although I agreed with many of Sach's diagnoses, his solutions were sometime problematic for me as a Catholic, Pragmatist and Capitalist.
It should be required reading for Social Studies credits in colleges
Anonymous
Posted March 18, 2008
This book along with Purposefully Made by I. Fountaine Allen are good for people who are trying to make it in this society
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