Sachs Education - Economist and eco-problem solver, chats about his plans to save the world

By Amanda Griscom Little

July 8, 2008 (Grist)

Jeffrey Sachs -- the renowned economist who devised a grand plan in 2005 to rid the world of poverty -- is now focused on an even broader ambition: saving the planet and all of us who call it home.

His new book, Common Wealth: Economics for a Crowded Planet??,??explores the crises of climate change and ecological degradation in a world squeezed by soaring population and industrial growth. But it's no doomsayer's lament. Sachs is a practical problem solver who's made his name advising big players in international politics and drawing up detailed plans for tackling the world's biggest challenges -- plus palling around with do-gooding celebs like Bono and Angelina Jolie. A professor of sustainable development and director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University, Sachs is also a bigwig at the United Nations, where he advises Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. He previously served as special adviser to Secretary-General Kofi Annan from 2002 to 2006, during which time he oversaw the U.N.'s Millennium Project.

In Common Wealth, Sachs argues that a new era of global cooperation will be needed to stabilize the world's population, spread sustainable technologies, eradicate disease, and lift billions of people from poverty. More pragmatist than eco-purist, Sachs advocates solutions ranging from solar power and ultra-efficient cars to advanced coal technologies, chemical fertilizers, and genetically modified seeds.

I called Sachs up at his office in New York City to suss out his vision for a sustainable future, and the political path that would make it a reality.

For the interview, please visit http://www.grist.org/feature/2008/07/08/sachs/index.html?source=rss