Countries looking to achieve sustainable food and land use systems by mid-century will have to undertake a two-step approach, crafting short-term policies aligned with long-term success. . . .
SDG Policy Initiative Director
Gordon McCord
Associate Teaching Professor & Associate Dean
Gordon McCord has an extensive background in sustainable development and works at the intersection of development economics, public health and the environment. His research often employs spatial data analysis and remote sensing to explore topics such as the evolving role of geography in economic development, the burden of infectious diseases in a changing climate, the impact of agricultural technology diffusion, and the spatial patterns of violent conflict. Gordon is also Senior Advisor to the Sustainable Development Solutions Network for the United Nations. He does extensive policy work promoting the Sustainable Development Goals, including leading the SDSN-USA network of U.S. universities, and is deeply involved in the global FABLE project bringing together interdisciplinary teams to chart sustainable land use pathways for the largest countries around the world. Gordon has advised developing country governments on poverty reduction, health systems and economic growth. Prior to his doctoral work in sustainable development at Columbia University, Gordon was Special Assistant to Jeffrey Sachs at the Earth Institute and at the United Nations Millennium Project.
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Latest
The SDG Policy Initiative and its partners lay out a new framework for the world to meet carbon neutrality goals, with a focus on leaving no one behind. . . .
Jan 7, 2021
New research from UC San Diego shows that since modern crop varieties were introduced in the developing world starting in 1961, they have substantially reduced infant mortality, especially for male babies and among poor households. The study finds that global diffusion of agricultural technology reduced infant mortality by up to . . .
Dec 17, 2020
The Food, Agriculture, Biodiversity, Land-Use, and Energy (FABLE) Consortium, a collaborative initiative operating as part of the Food and Land Use Coalition (FOLU), launched its 2020 report, Pathways to Sustainable Land-Use and Food Systems. This second global report of the FABLE Consortium presents pathways towards sustainable land-use and food . . .
Dec 3, 2020
The Zero Carbon Action Plan (ZCAP), crafted by roughly 100 individuals spanning academia and think tanks, would help the U.S. reach the goals of the Paris Climate Accord and hit net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. The research found that a transition to almost entirely clean sources of energy would . . .
Oct 27, 2020
Summit hosted by Muir College to arm community with actionable goals to address a warming world. Gordon McCord spoke on how land-use and food systems are unsustainable around the world and emit greenhouse gasses. Land-use and food systems are also highly vulnerable to climate change, which might threaten food . . .
Feb 21, 2020
This summer marked the 50th anniversary of Northern Ireland’s Troubles, a decades-long ethnic civil war that killed more than 3,000 people. The war lasted until 1998, when the Good Friday Agreement reaffirmed British control of Northern Ireland but offered Catholics assurances against government discrimination and the gerrymandering that had previously limited their voice in Northern . . .