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16:51

GDP and Well-Being

In this chapter, Professor Sachs talks about how gross domestic product (GDP) per person, as a rough measure of living standards and well-being, is increasingly being used to make comparisons of quality of life between countries. However, GDP per capita, as conventionally measured, doesn’t take it account many measures that are important for our well-being. When we differentiate between countries, it is important to take into account differences in population size (for example). Six…

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,…

11:22

An Introduction to Sustainable Development

This lecture examines the different ideas behind sustainable development. It acts as an introduction to the complexities that make up the world in relation to sustainable development. This video is not available under a Creative Commons license and should not be considered open content. However, the video is freely available for viewing or sharing with individuals or groups for educational purposes, such as in a classroom, workshop, or training. Please give attribution to the SDG Academy.…

12:24

Introducing Sustainable Development

In this chapter, Professor Jeffrey Sachs introduces the course "Sustainable Development: the Post-Capitalist Order" and defines sustainable development. This video is licensed under the CC BY-NC-SA license. Please give attribution to the SDG Academy.

10:59

A Brief History of the SDGs

This chapter presents the origins of the SDGs, how they arose and why? The chapter conveys the core idea that clear goal-setting is essential for progress and examines the process through which the SDGs were established. Dr. Sachs begins a discussion of historic development by reaching back several decades to the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment (1972) to the Millennium Development Goals to the present. This video is licensed under the CC BY-NC-SA license.

12:36

Social-Ecological Systems

Professor Carl Folke discusses a social-ecological system approach, in which people are looked at as being part of, and changing, the planet, in addition to being dependent on the Earth for resources and ecosystem services. Examples are given of ecosystem services including crop pollination, carbon sinks, etc.; and an example is given of Madagascar. Folke gives an example of a classic success story of collective action with the lobster in Maine. Resilience is divided into three parts:…

07:50

Interview with Koen Doens, Director General DG-INTPA, European Commission

This video is the sixth video of unit 5.1 of the course Nature-based Solutions for Disaster and Climate Resilience taught by Nathalie Doswald, Mikhail Fernandes, and Xinyue Gu. What are ‘Nature-based solutions’, or NbS? How can they help build resilience to disasters and climate change impacts? Why is NbS relevant? How can I apply NbS in my work and everyday life?In this online course, UNEP and environmental experts from around the world will provide you with answers to those…

14:26

Growth on a Finite Planet: Is it Inherently Impossible?

This chapter discusses two important questions: is it feasible to have economic growth from this point forward and does economic growth even make sense on a finite planet? This video is licensed under the CC BY-NC-SA license.

13:57

The Impact of Adversity and Toxic Stress on Child Development

Adversity has disruptive effects on the development of the brain and body, especially when children are living in environments burdened by deep poverty, exposure to violence, maltreatment, etc. This increases the likelihood for problems in school, with behavior, later economic productivity, and problems in physical and mental health. Studies are used to show evidence of the effects of adverse factors on poor outcomes of children in vulnerable situations. As the number of risk factors increases,…