Skip to main content

Curated by Project Syndicate

Solutions for Sustainable Development

32 commentaries

Efforts to combat climate change through sustainable development are as complex as they are important for the future of humanity. With US President Donald Trump seeking to reverse much of the recent progress toward averting a climate crisis, marshaling political support for sustainable growth strategies has become more necessary than ever. 


To that end, Project Syndicate has partnered with the Sustainable Development Solutions Network to provide a platform for leading thinkers at the intersection of business and climate action. Only through debate and dialogue can we arrive upon the innovative solutions needed to tackle the most vexing challenge of the twenty-first century.

Sort by: Show:
  1. A Climate Silver Bullet?
    geoengineering_bp_GettyImages973103504 Arterra/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
    Free to read

    A Climate Silver Bullet?

    Sep 26, 2019 PS Commentators ask whether the quest for technological climate fixes is doing more harm than good.

  2. California’s Cross-Cutting Climate Strategy
    mendonca30_Justin SullivanGetty Images_gavin newsom Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

    California’s Cross-Cutting Climate Strategy

    Sep 25, 2019 Kate Gordon & Lenny Mendonca describe the US state's commitment to building resilience and advancing sustainability.

  3. Greening Our Cities
    navarro1_Ernst Haas_Getty Images Ernst Haas

    Greening Our Cities

    Sep 24, 2019 Emma Navarro & Nanda Jichkar explain why urban development must be at the center of any global effort to tackle climate change.

  4. Food for Sustainable Development
    sachs314_Julian Stratenschultepicture alliance via Getty Images_harvest

    Food for Sustainable Development

    Sep 24, 2019 Jeffrey D. Sachs & Angelo Riccaboni report on their work to ensure that what we eat and how it's produced doesn't kill us or the planet.

  5. How to Finance the Green Transition
    hoyer2_getty images_green finance Getty Images

    How to Finance the Green Transition

    Sep 24, 2019 Werner Hoyer explains how public banks and other institutions are mobilizing private capital for climate action.

  6. Strengthening Land Rights Will Curb Migration
    jochnick1_John MilnerSOPA ImagesLightRocket via Getty Images_farmer John Milner/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

    Strengthening Land Rights Will Curb Migration

    Sep 17, 2019 Chris Jochnick blames poor farmers' weak claims to their most productive asset for persistent poverty and growing food insecurity.

  1. stiglitz331_serggnGetty Images_techregulation serggn/Getty Images

    A Big Defeat for Big Tech

    Joseph E. Stiglitz

    Tech companies know that if there is an open, democratic debate about data security, consumers’ concerns about digital safeguards will win out. And while the industry's lobbyists tried to ensure that no such debate could ever occur, one of their more cynical moves has now been exposed and thwarted.

    details how the industry tried to slip extraordinary protections against regulation into US trade agreements.
  2. zizek27_Giles ClarkeGetty Images_jimmycherizier Giles Clarke/Getty Images

    Haiti’s Proud Boys

    Slavoj Žižek

    If we measure a failed state by the cracks in the edifice of its power, reflected in brewing ideological civil wars, deadlocked assemblies, and increasingly insecure public spaces, we must recognize that the United States is not so unlike Haiti. Both have given rise to violent gangs with political ambitions.

    warns that rich Western democracies are not immune to politically motivated gang violence.
  3. hedegaard11_y Dursun AydemirAnadolu via Getty Images_parliament elections Dursun Aydemir/Anadolu via Getty Images

    Unity Is Europe’s Greatest Asset

    Connie Hedegaard emphasizes the importance of stability amid persistent economic and geopolitical crises.
  4. qian34_PEDRO PARDOAFP via Getty Images_immigration PEDRO PARDO/AFP via Getty Images

    The Truth About US Immigration

    Nancy Qian warns that overheated campaign-season rhetoric is dangerously polarizing and ultimately self-defeating.
  5. mueller51_ David McNewGetty Images_gop trump David McNew/Getty Images

    The Zombification of Political Parties

    Jan-Werner Mueller argues that Donald Trump’s capture of the GOP’s organizational machinery recalls authoritarian tactics elsewhere.
  6. basu100_David Dee DelgadoGetty Images_newyork David Dee Delgado/Getty Images

    The Economic Consequences of Legal Behavior

    Kaushik Basu highlights the potential benefits of emphasizing adherence to the spirit of laws, if not their letter.
  7. brown106_KOLA SULAIMONAFP via Getty Images_nigeriaschool Kola Sulaimon/AFP via Getty Images

    For Nigeria’s Schools, Safety Must Come First

    Gordon Brown writes that the latest mass abduction of students underscores the dilemma facing parents throughout the country.
  8. owoo1_disabled iStock / Getty Images Plus

    Give Women with Disabilities a Chance

    Nkechi S. Owoo explains what is needed to protect and empower one of the world’s most vulnerable demographic groups.
  9. op_mkurz3_Spencer PlattGetty Images_rustbelt Spencer Platt/Getty Images

    How Capitalism Became a Threat to Democracy

    Mordecai Kurz examines the economic policies and market dynamics that have ushered in America's Second Gilded Age.

Edit Newsletter Preferences

Set up Notification

To receive email updates regarding this {entity_type}, please enter your email below.

If you are not already registered, this will create a PS account for you. You should receive an activation email shortly.