Opponents of free debate are celebrating. Last week, under pressure from some climate-change activists, the University of Western Australia canceled its contract to host a planned research center, Australia Consensus, intended to apply economic cost-benefit analysis to development projects—giving policy makers a tool to ensure their aid budgets are spent wisely.

Über weite Teile des letzten Jahres hat die Ebola-Epidemie in Westafrika die Schlagzeilen bestimmt. Doch so verheerend sie war: Ihre weniger als 20.000 Todesopfer verblassen gegenüber denen von vermeidbaren Erkrankungen wie Aids, Tuberkulose und Malaria, die im Jahre 2013 zusammen mehr als drei Millionen Tote verursachten und insbesondere die Ärmsten trafen. Das müsste nicht sein; eine Bekämpfung dieser Krankheiten wäre sogar eine außergewöhnlich gute Investition.

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.

En septiembre, 193 gobiernos del mundo se reuniran en Nueva York y acordoran sobre un conjunto de objetivos ambicios mundiales para 2030. 

The world’s greatest environmental threat disproportionately harms women and children, particularly in the developing world: it is indoor air pollution.  The World Health Organization estimates that indoor pollution kills 4.3 million people a year, mainly because 2.8 billion people still use firewood, dung and coal for cooking and keeping warm, breathing polluted air inside their homes every day. Indoor air pollution from cooking and heating with open fires can cause harm equivalent to smoking two packs of cigarettes a day.

I september vil verdens 193 regjeringer samles i New York og avtale en rekke ambisiøse, globale mål for 2030. De neste 15 årene vil disse målene styre fordelingen av 2500 milliarder dollar som brukes på utviklingsbistand, i tillegg til tusenvis av milliarder fra nasjonale budsjetter.

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.

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.