Breakthrough: The Promise of Frontier Technologies for Sustainable Development - Paperback

by Homi Kharas (Editor), John W. McArthur (Editor), Izumi Ohno (Editor)

Harnessing technology for a better future

At a time when many people worry about stalled progress on the economic, social, and environmental challenges of sustainable development, Breakthrough is a reminder that the promise of a better future is within our grasp, across a range of domains. It will interest anyone who wonders about the world's economic, social, and environmental future.

Back Jacket

The COVID-19 pandemic offered many lessons for the world, one of the most important of which is the role of technology in solving seemingly intractable problems. A breakthrough technology led to the development of vaccines against COVID-19 in record time, helping slow a pandemic that has led to at least 5 million premature deaths and caused untold misery worldwide. In Breakthrough, more than a dozen distinguished international experts examine the potential for similar technological breakthroughs to affect the human condition and natural world within the next ten years. Their stories reflect major ambitions for what the future could bring and offer a glimpse into the possibilities for achieving the UN's Sustainable Development Goals. The authors were asked to envision future success in their respective fields, given the current state of technology and potential progress over the next decade. Each examined technological advances that could contribute directly to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and affect the lives of hundreds of millions of people or a substantial segment of the planet. The book's chapters cover a wide range of problems and potential technological solutions in such fields as medicine, agriculture, energy, finance, and nature conservation. Each chapter in the book reflects major opportunities for humanity. These are not predictions for what will happen but are informed conjectures about what could happen if leaders make the right choices to promote the right circumstances. Technological advances will not solve all of the world's problems; better public policies and more community-minded politics are vital in every society. But technology must play a crucial role in smoothing the path toward better sustainable development outcomes. Breakthrough is a major contribution to public understanding of how that can happen.

Author Biography

Homi Kharas is asenior fellow in the Center for Sustainable Development at the Brookings Institution, where he specializes in analyzing policies and finance in supportof sustainable development. His previous books include Leave No One Behind: Time for Specifics on the Sustainable Development Goals.

John W. McArthuris a senior fellow in, and Director of, the Center for Sustainable Development at the Brookings Institution. He co-chairs the 17-Rooms initiative, a newapproach to spurring action, insight, and community for the SustainableDevelopment Goals. His previous books include From Summits to Solutions: Innovations in Implementing the Sustainable Development Goals.

Izumi Ohno is a Professor at the NationalGraduate Institute for Policy Studies in Japan, and a Senior Research Adviserto the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Ogata Sadako ResearchInstitute for Peace and Development. She specializes in internationaldevelopment policy, industrial policy and Japanese development cooperation. Herprevious books include Industrial Human Resource Development in DevelopingCountries: Knowledge and Skills in the Era of SDGs.