Home page

09:26

Introduction: The Oceans and Sustainable Development

The global ocean connects us all and provides our livelihoods, the oxygen we breathe, and transportation, among other things. The ocean is included in SDG 14. This course will try to provide a deeper understanding of the complex understanding of the ocean, environment, and climate system. Humans receive resources from the ocean, as well as risks. There will be weekly lectures on different topics, including the basic physics of ocean circulation, the ocean ecosystem, how the deep ocean works,…

08:44

Our Ocean: A Finite Resource

The ocean has always sparked human curiosity. In the mid-20th century, people began to realize that there are limits to what humanity should do to our planet before it cannot support life as we know it, limits known as the planetary boundaries. The human population of the planet has reached 7 billion people and will soon approach 11 billion people. We rely on the earth to support us with ecosystem services; the ocean provides these services by regulating the climate system. The oceans have a…

04:19

Introduction to Marine Ecosystems

The ocean is an intricate patchwork of co-existing ecosystems from which humans benefit in terms of food, energy, and keeping our planet habitable by regulating climate and absorbing nutrients from agriculture. Economists estimate the value of ocean assets at about US$ 24 trillion, in addition to the spiritual and inherent value in biodiversity. Human activities threaten ecosystems through pollution, overfishing, habitat loss, and climate change. One of the most promising possibilities to…

16:46

Comment fonctionne le système monétaire international? (How does the international monetary system work?)

Cet entretien avec le professeur Jean-François Ponsot (Université Grenoble Alpes) analyse le fonctionnement et les limites du système monétaire international. Il répond aux questions suivantes : -Comment la valeur externe de la monnaie d’un pays est-elle déterminée ? -Quelle est la hiérarchie monétaire internationale et quel est le rôle spécifique du dollar américain ? -Comment les pays du Sud sont-ils…

14:11

Global Governance for Sustainable Development

In this chapter, Professor Sachs focuses on the new means of global governance necessary for sustainable development and global peace. He addresses two aspects of this challenge: how can we make a global learning society where we accelerate our ability to understand, know, and direct resources towards solutions; and how can we keep the peace and insure that the UN and other global institutions do the job they are tasked to do? Goal orientation, dynamic planning, multidimensional systems…

07:15

Root Causes and Lived Realities: Violence Against Women and Girls

Violence against women can be seen on three levels: the international, national, and intimate levels. We can look at psychological as well as patriarchal factors, and find the root causes behind reasons like alcohol abuse. One root cause discussed is a societal crisis in masculinity. Feminists prefer to think about violence as being learned and socialized. There are three aspects to thinking about why men are violent. These are: the notion of impaired masculinity; challenges to the patriarchal…

13:24

The Beginning of Divergence of the West and Asia

Professor Sachs begins this chapter by explaining Angus Maddison's graphs of GDP per capita and population from the 1700s, in order to explain Europe’s rise to power during the fourth wave of globalization. Until 1800, the world economy was still Asia-centered; Professor Sachs investigates why the shift in power changed from Asia to Europe in the 19th century. In 1433, China decided to end its ocean exploration and cut off foreign contact until the mid 1800s. The relative openness in…

07:56

Economic Models for Sustainability and the Ocean

This chapter introduces various perspectives on the ocean's ecosystem services and how they should be accounted for in economic modeling. In September 2015, the United Nations concluded the Sustainable Development Goals. Among them is goal number 14, "life below water." And the goal is to conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas, and marine resources for sustainable development. As a result, sustainable development, particularly sustainable ocean development, is high on the…

15:04

Sustainable Food and Land Use

This chapters opens with a discussion of the CO2 emissions due to agriculture. Professor Sachs goes on to discuss how agriculture and food production impact SDGs, such as SDG 2: Zero Hunger, SDG 6: Clean Water, SDG 14: Life Below Water, and SDG 15: Life on Land. He elaborates on the dimensions of this transformation, including sustainable food, boundaries, shifting diets, supply chain governance, and proper planning. This video is licensed under the CC BY-NC-SA license.