Felix Dodds comments on sustainable development, coffee & life

((Rogue CNN exists in a parallel universe to ours where a property developer and reality TV star gets elected President)) Wolf: We are going over to the White House for an announcement from Michael Strauss, Press Secretary to the President. Strauss: As all of you know we are in the middle of the Mueller Inquiry and although the President has been saying that he has no plans to sack the Special Prosecutor, I am here today to say there is serious doubt about that. There has been planning going on for this with the inner circle, including Republicans on the investigating committees. The actions being contemplated are not Constitutional, and they will pose an extraordinary threat to the very nature of this democratic Republic. Since I, for one, care about this country and will not take part in such activity, I am effective as of now resigning. A full text of my statement will appear below CNN: Mike, have you been in contact with the Robert Mueller's office? Strauss – I can't...

Dato’ Maimunah Mohd Sharif is the new Executive Director of UN-Habitat. she will have a huge challenge to rebuild the UN body after Dr. Clos's tenure.  Prior to this appointment, she was the Mayor of the Penang City Council.  She holds a Master of Science in planning studies from University Science Malaysia, Penang and also a degree in Town Planning Studies from University of Wales Institute of Science and Technology, United Kingdom.  Her career begins from 1985 to 2003 as Town Planning Officer at Municipal Council Of Penang Island. In 2003 she was promoted as a Director, Department of Planning and Development till November 2009.  As a head of Planning and Development Department, she was responsible for preparation of structure plan, local plan, development controls, projects and landscapes. She also headed a team for the planning and implementation of urban renewal projects for Little India and implementation of Penang Gold Bazaar project in George Town. In No...

2017 wasn't as productive as 2016 for me no new books or comics but there was my first chapter for a book by Oxford University Press on one of the topics I have written on before - Environmental Security. I have also published three papers on SDG targets, sustainable finance, and multi-stakeholder partnerships. I have started to write occasionally for Inter Press Service News Service. Perhaps my most read article is the one on Wonder Woman should STILL be a UN AMbassador. Books Dodds, F. (2017) Emergence of Environment as a Security Imperative in The Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Environmental Science Oxford, Oxford University Press Papers Dodds, F. (2017) Sustainable Finance:  Private sector contribution to financing the Sustainable Development Goals, Friends of Governance for Sustainable Development Dodds, F. (2017) Suggestions for how to approach SDG targets that fall between 2020 and 2025, Friends of Governance for Sustainable Development Hemmati, M and Dodds,...

Photo by IISD/ENB Mike Mururakis  I had the honor of moderating the Multi-Stakeholder Dialogue “People and Pollution”.  at United Nations Environment Assembly 3. There were two sessions the first looking at the impact on pollution and the second on how we might address the problems. Opening tDialoguegue was Ambassador Marie Chatar-dová the President of EcoSoc. She was followed by three presentations: Sascha Gabizon,  is Executive Director of Women in Europe for a Common Future and co-facilitates the Women’s Major Group at the UN ensuring participation of over 1000 Women’s organisations in the Sustainable Development Goals policy processes Olga Speranskaya ,  the CoChair of IPEN (International POPs Elimination Network), a global network of non-governmental organisations working towards a toxic-free future where she has focused on the design and implementation of IPEN global strategy to address pollution sources, domestic and internatio...

One of the fathers of the post-Earth Summit world Calestous Juma has died at the age of 64. He took over from Angela Cropper as Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity  (1995-1998). I ahd the pleasure of appearing ona number of panels with Calestous biut hadnt spoke with him this year as our paths had not crossed. He will be a loss to the sustainable development world. For those who don't know his work Calestrous had been active in the Kenyan NGO world working for Environmental Liaison Center in Nairobi (1979-1982)  He helped prepare the documents for the reconvened Brundtland Commission in 1992  working in the Centre for Our Common Future. Since leaving the CBD he had been at Harvard University where he was Professor of the Practice of International Development; Director of the Science, Technology, and Globalization Project at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs; and Faculty Chair of the Ed...

Republished from Challenge the Green Liberal Democrat Magazine Felix Dodds is an author of 14 books and 1 comic on sustainable development. His latest book is “Negotiating the Sustainable Development Goals: A transformational agenda for an insecure world” which he wrote with the co-chair of the UN negotiations Ambassador David Donoghue and the Guatemalan negotiator Jimena Leiva Roesch. He was the Chair of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Societies Responsive Citizens (2011) and co-director of the Nexus Conferences (Water-Food-Energy-Climate) 2014 and 2018. Last year he had his first comic out with UNICEF Santa’s Green Christmas Father Christmas Battles Climate Change – it will be a YouTube video this Christmas.  He is also President of Amber Valley Liberal Democrats and a former Chair of the National League of Young Liberals (1985-1987). Introduction A number of the Green Guard got together in late November to remember one of our fallen comrades; Mike Harskin w...