In a fireside chat hosted by Duke Kunshan University, the renowned economist and U.N. advisor delivered a powerful message to students: Don’t sit back and predict the future—make it.
Having advised three United Nations secretaries-general, led global efforts to fight poverty, and shaped the world’s most ambitious blueprint for a better future—the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Jeffrey Sachs is now turning to the next generation.
Hosted by DKU Executive Vice Chancellor John Quelch and moderated by Professor Kwang Leong Choy, the dialogue offered students and faculty a rare opportunity to engage directly with one of the architects behind the SDGs.
Sachs, a professor at Columbia University and President of the U.N. Sustainable Development Solutions Network, has been widely recognized as one of the world’s most influential voices on sustainable development, global health, and climate policy. He has twice been named among Time magazine’s 100 most influential people and is the author of bestselling books such as “The End of Poverty” and “The Age of Sustainable Development.”
From failure to global ambition
At the heart of Sachs’s message was a dual sense of urgency and hope.
“We’ve already made dangerous changes to the climate, and the pace of change is accelerating,” he said. “Just in the last four years, the Earth’s average temperature has risen by 0.3°C. Scientists are still trying to understand why it’s happening so fast.”
Sachs, who played a leading role in shaping the SDGs, explained how the goals evolved from their predecessor, the Millennium Development Goals, and how a “failing grade” in environmental progress led to the creation of a more holistic global agenda in 2015.
“The idea was to combine economic development, social justice, and environmental sustainability,” he said. “Seventeen goals, adopted unanimously. It’s a framework for humanity to work together.”
While many countries have embraced the SDGs in spirit, Sachs was candid about the gap between commitment and execution.
“Few governments are actually on track to achieve them,” he said. “We’re really failing on the environmental side. That’s shocking. We’ve known about the climate crisis since 1992.”
Still, Sachs pointed to positive momentum, especially around gender equality—citing SDG 5—as well as the critical role universities and students can play in shifting the global trajectory.
“We need a lot of good skills and brain power to solve these crises,” he said. “Sustainable development is interdisciplinary. You have to understand climate science, engineering, economics, politics, and international relations.”
Universities, China and the power of collaboration
He praised DKU’s model and encouraged students to get involved in practical, cross-border initiatives. Sachs also spotlighted the Sustainable Development Solutions Network, which now includes over 2,000 member universities working toward the SDGs.
“Universities are unique,” he said. “They’re long-lived institutions. They bring together generations. They’re not stuck in short-term political cycles. That gives them the ability to offer honest, unbiased advice.”
He singled out China’s leadership in green innovation, calling it a global force in renewable energy.
“China is going to be the world leader in electric vehicles, in battery supply chains, in solar, hydrogen, wind power—you name it,” he said. “I tell my Chinese friends: you’re so good at what you do. Do it by 2050, not 2060—for your sake and for the world’s.”
As the conversation turned to globalization and international governance, Sachs offered a clear stance: global problems require global cooperation. He advocated for a stronger, more effective United Nations and called on world leaders to rise above nationalist thinking.
Advice for the next generation
But it was Sachs’s personal reflections that seemed to resonate most with students.
“I’ve been trying to learn every day for decades,” he said with a smile. “And I’m still discovering things I should’ve known years ago. That’s the joy of it.”
He recalled how a mentor once told him to “retool” every few years—advice he’s taken to heart.
“At the Earth Institute, I was suddenly surrounded by climate scientists, engineers, game theorists, lawyers, educators. It felt like being back in school. Every meeting was like a master class.”
In closing, Sachs offered a message tailored to the DKU students watching from across China and around the world:
“Take on something big and important,” he said. “Don’t expect to solve it all. But study hard, keep learning, work at it, and you’ll have a great time.”
