By September, the world’s 193 governments will meet in New York and agree on a set of ambitious, global targets for 2030. Over the next 15 years these targets will direct the $2.5 trillion to be spent on development assistance, as well as countless trillions in national budgets.

Last year, life expectancy on the planet reached 70, with 66 years in India. This is remarkable progress. In 1900, life expectancy was about 30. Compared to a century ago, each of us has now been granted more than two lifetimes. But there are still many health problems we could tackle better. The question is which we should focus on.

West Africa’s Ebola epidemic has dominated headlines for much of the last year.

Varje år spenderar världen mer än 4 700 miljarder kronor på att subventionera fossila bränslen, enligt International Energy Agency (IEA). Det råder ingen tvekan om att dessa pengar skulle kunna användas på mycket bättre sätt. Subventioner av fossila bränslen förekommer främst i utvecklingsländer med Iran, Saudiarabien, Ryssland och Venezuela högst upp på listan. Iran spenderar mer än 720 miljarder kronor årligen på subventioner, eller 23 procent av sin BNP

For this Earth Day it is especially important we focus on the world's top priorities. In September, all 193 governments will meet at the UN to set targets for the world for the next 15 years in what is explicitly labeled "Sustainable Development Goals." So, it is worth looking at what we should do first. At my think tank, the Copenhagen Consensus, we've asked 60 teams of top economists including several Nobel laureates to evaluate the economic, social and environmental costs and benefits of the targets, so we can pick the best ones. Here is what we should do in environment.

Phasing out fossil fuel subsidies is an obvious target for the world’s next development goals.

The world spends $548 billion subsidizing fossil fuels, mostly in developing countries. A disproportionate share of the subsidies goes to the middle class and the rich – after all, they are the ones who can afford a car in poor countries.

Civil wars and conflicts rumble far too long in far too many places like Syria and the Sudans, and they are devastating for those involved. Economists have measured the costs of all such conflict, from the death toll from civil wars, regular wars, terrorism along with the costs of refugees but also including the way conflicts can blight countries' economic growth for decades. Yet, their total impact, though important in specific hot-spots, is globally fairly small, with a total cost of about 0.2% of global GDP.

NEW DELHI — Every evening, hundreds of millions of Indian women hover over crude stoves making dinner for their families. They feed the flames with polluting fuels like kerosene or cow dung, and breathe the acrid smoke wafting from the fires.

At 8:30 p.m. on Saturday, people and public places across the globe will switch off their lights for one hour to raise awareness about the impact of energy use on climate change. Unfortunately, this Earth Hour event is nothing but an ineffective feel-good event. It does little for the climate in terms of reducing CO emissions and distracts us from the real problems and solutions — especially giving light to those in the darkness.

KBR, Jakarta - Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) yang akan diresmikan akhir tahun ini mendapat segudang kritik dari lembaga think tank, Copenhagen Consensus Center. SDGs adalah lanjutan Millenium Development Goals (MDGs) yang sudah berjalan sejak 2000 dan akan berakhir tahun ini.