Human capabilities

The Space Shuttle represents the moonshot – not for the world to give up on its home and leave all problems behind, but to join together to push for new innovations or make existing ones more accessible (SDG 9). Improved education (SDG 4) is lifting up developing societies and strengthening the collective capacity to explore new avenues for improving livelihoods in the West. But to do so, basic needs also must be addressed, including reducing poverty (SDG 1), improving health and well-being (SDG 3), and ensuring access to water for all (SDG 6). The chapter covers transformative education, the role of water, and collective leadership. It highlights the importance of data in addressing knowledge gaps, and introduces the author’s work on building capacities to improve resilience for farming households in the Global South.