Jeffrey D. Sachs's Blog, page 2

The Dangerous Absurdity of America’s Trade Wars

NEW YORK – Don Quixote fought windmills. US President Donald Trump fights trade deficits. Both battles are absurd, but at least Quixote’s was tinged with idealism. Trump’s is drenched in enraged ignorance. Last week, it was announced that the US international deficit on goods and services had widened to $621 billion, despite Trump’s promise that tough trade [...]

Tbilisi State University honorary degree lecture

The Green New Deal isn’t outlandish — it’s a necessity

A recent Washington Post editorial and a letter by leading economists suggest that a carbon tax is the “best first-line policy.” The editorial argues that “a high-enough carbon price would shape millions of choices, small and large, about what to buy, how to invest and how to live that would result in substantial emissions cuts.” It sounds plausible, yet [...]

Jeffrey Sachs on Person Place Thing

“This renowned economist, an advisor to governments around the world, tells the Center for Architecture that to save the planet and increase human happiness, we must study sustainability, read Aristotle, and drink very good coffee. Music from Sam Reider.” Listen to Professor Jeffrey Sachs on Episode #248 of Person Place Thing here or on iTunes.

The Medicare for All bill is a winner

(CNN) Rep. Pramila Jayapal introduced a sweeping Medicare for All (MFA) bill on Wednesday (H.R. 1384), and the national debate on healthcare is bound to intensify through the 2020 election. Voters rank healthcare costs as their second most important priority, just after the economy. The political fate of MFA will likely depend on one key question: Will [...]

How to Avoid a War in Venezuela

Feb 26, 2019 JEFFREY D. SACHS , FRANCISCO RODRÍGUEZ When the United States chose to recognize Juan Guaidó as Venezuela’s president – along with a group of Latin American countries – and ban oil trade with the Maduro government, it was betting that the pressure would be sufficient to topple the regime quickly. So, now what? NEW YORK [...]

Will America Create a Cold War With China?

American policy towards China is now up for grabs, with hardliners and soft-liners battling for the upper hand. The hardliners view China as an existential threat to American security and interests. The soft-liners regard China as a powerful counterpart, on occasion friend, competitor, or adversary, but not an existential threat. In my view, the of- [...]

Green New Deal is feasible and affordable

(CNN) There are three main ideas of the Green New Deal Resolution introduced by Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Senator Ed Markey. The first is to decarbonize the US energy system — that is, to end the emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) from burning coal, oil and natural gas, in order to stop global warming. The second is to [...]

The SDGs and Corporate Social Responsibility

Around the world, companies are being called upon to align their business practices with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). These calls are coming from many places: outside investors such as pension funds, active shareholders within companies, consumers, suppliers, and other stakeholders in society. There is still no single agreed set of standards to assess whether [...]

An Urgent Call for Compromise in Venezuela

The risk of a winner-takes-all approach in the country’s political crisis is extraordinary. It’s time to seek a negotiated transition. By Francisco Rodríguez and Jeffrey D. Sachs Over the past two weeks, the United States, with the support of several countries in Latin America, has recognized the government of Juan Guaidó, the president of Venezuela’s National Assembly, and [...]