Felix Dodds comments on sustainable development, coffee & life

The journey to the Glasgow Climate Summit has and is a challenge because of the COVID-19 pandemic. It was moved from November 2020 to November 2021 to enable governments to meet in person.  We now know that it is unlikely  that the Bonn June meeting will happen in person. Will it become a virtual negotiation? I personally think that would not work.  I would hope it could be added on to the meeting in Italy so that most of October would become a prepcom for Glasgow. The advantage of this is member states and stakeholders would be travelling once though perhaps if it merges into Glasgow so it could become a six week combined event. There are a series of meetings and negotiations that will help build momentum and we also hope commitments. Between April and November, the key meetings that will feed into the Glasgow Summit include: April 22 nd US President Biden Heads of State Climate Summit May 17-30 th UN Biodiversity Convention (TBC) June Bonn 31 May – 10 June (T...

Just distributed in the evaluation of the UN Regional Forum on Sustainable Development the full report can be downloaded here.  The report has a set of recommendations that are worth considering as the review of the HLPF is beign conducted.  Recommendation 1. Explore the use of virtual formats to facilitate more focused discussions, enhance the peer learning experience and strengthen partnerships 59. Virtual formats are not intended to replace physical events and all the benefits these bring. However, they can contribute to address the challenge that large numbers of participants pose to have in-depth and interactive discussions. Virtual elements could be organized throughout the year, with the support of partners, addressing specific questions in smaller groups, thus facilitating peer-learning. Recommendation 2. Strengthen the role of the Regional Forum as a stakeholder platform   60. The RFSD has engaged an increased number of non-governmental stakeholders, who hav...

Guest blog: Ariel  Lozovsky is a climate change optimist.
 When she’s not creating content around reversing climate change, she’s climbing rocks or petting dogs.
 Before joining the SINAI team, she was working on marketing and creatives
 at a gaming company. Originally published here. In Part 1 of this blog series, we provided an overview of what carbon pricing is and how carbon pricing manifests at the market level when implemented by governments. This blog will focus on carbon pricing for individual companies and how it is being used for managing costs related to emissions reductions. Corporations pricing carbon The impacts of the patchwork of jurisdictional carbon prices described in our previous blog have already had major impacts on hundreds of organizations around the world. As of 2019, “about 1600 companies disclosed that they currently use internal carbon pricing or that they anticipate doing so within two years”. Internal carbon pricing is the process of implementing a c...

UN Biodiversity Convention’s science body holds online informal session to exchange views on key biodiversity issues • Informal session will use virtual online format and exchange opinions on key agenda items for SBSTTA-24, there will be no negotiations or decisions • 2000 pre-registered participants, affirming Parties’ dedication to critical biodiversity discussions despite pandemic situation • Meeting will provide the necessary contribution to the formal discussions at the 24th meeting of the CBD’s subsidiary body on science to be held later this year • Session will be a useful and important step on the road to develop scientifically and technically sound post-2020 global biodiversity framework. Montreal, 16 February 2021 – With the participation of 2000 pre-registered participants, the UN Convention on Biological Diversity’s (CBD) subsidiary body on science will hold an informal session on 17-19, 24-26 February to prepare for the formal meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific,...

The year is 2084 Knox, Sagan and Terran don't have long to live, unless... Follow three teenagers as they race against time and travel through it to find a solution to the GROW – a disease that has spread across the world and cut life-expectancy to less than 30 years. Their journey takes them back in time where they find the cause of the disease, learn about the importance of the ozone layer and the impact of working together towards a common human cause. Follow them as they Reset Earth. Through an immersive animated web series and mobile game, Reset Earth brings hope to Generation Z by showing them what was achieved after the world came together in 1985 at the Vienna Convention to address the ozone crisis. One Ozone. One Planet. One Chance..game launched with UNEP Ozone Secretariat  What would the world look like if we hadn’t saved the ozone layer? 2084. The GROW has taken over. Three teenagers find themselves on an adventure to save themselves and the world. Reset Earth is...

  2021 UNC Water and Health Conference: Science, Policy, and Practice October 2021 4-8 MORE INFORMATION ...