The article addresses the problem of depletion of the natural environment, on the one hand, and, on the other hand, the increase in the planet's population, which, moreover, wants to live in much better conditions than most people live now. The relevance of this problem is due to the fact that a global environmental catastrophe is approaching at a rapid pace, and humanity cannot offer anything other than partial, secondary measures. Within the framework of this broad problem, the authors set themselves the goal of linking the task of restoring development sustainability and changes in the global institutional structure. The main method used by the authors is historical and logical. It allows us to include the current situation of loss of development sustainability in a broad and dynamically developing context, which makes the results of the work more substantiated. The authors conclude that achieving sustainable development is possible only on the basis of a radical transition to a fundamentally different system of technologies, which, firstly, is of a public good nature and, secondly, requires a colossal redistribution of global resources. The transition to such a system of technologies will require an institutional shift in the world economy toward a plan. The results of the article can be used by international organizations associated with solving sustainable development problems. The novelty of the work lies in the fact that most authors either try in vain to find a solution to the problem of sustainable development within the existing system of institutions, or, denying the ability of existing institutions to resolve the issue, idealistically appeal to the moral improvement of man. The authors show a specific connection between the technical and technological task of achieving sustainable development and a possible institutional alternative.