Michael Green discusses the potential to achieve the United Nations' global goals by 2030, emphasizing that economic growth alone is insufficient. He introduces the Social Progress Index as a tool to measure progress and argues for prioritizing social well-being to meet these ambitious targets.

World leaders have agreed on a new set of global goals for development by 2030, aiming to address issues like hunger, gender equality, and climate change. Despite skepticism, past successes like the Millennium Development Goals suggest that with significant effort and economic growth, these ambitious targets might be achievable.

The chapter discusses the Social Progress Index (SPI) and its role in measuring global social progress without economic indicators. It highlights the current global score, the target for achieving global goals, and the relationship between GDP growth and social progress, predicting only a slight improvement by 2030 despite significant economic growth.

Economic growth alone is insufficient to achieve global goals, as it often comes with environmental and social costs. Prioritizing social progress and well-being, as demonstrated by countries like Costa Rica, can lead to significant improvements even with modest GDP levels.

The chapter emphasizes the importance of holding world leaders accountable for achieving the global goals by tracking their progress over the next 15 years. It introduces the People's Report Card, a tool that grades countries' performance on these goals, encouraging citizens to demand action and progress from their leaders.