Felix Dodds comments on sustainable development, coffee & life

 COMMON SECURITY 2022 “International Security must rest on a commitment to joint survival rather than a threat of mutual destruction.” These words, from 40 years ago, serve as a stark reminder that the survival of humanity is not a forgone conclusion. The continuation of human existence in the twenty-first century, on a planet of nearly eight billion people, is a colossal global mission. It is an endeavour that relies on a commitment to cooperation not annihilation. (taken from the web site below) Our Common Future 2022: For Our Shared Future can be found here. In 1982, the Independent Commission on Disarmament and Security Issues, led by the Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme, published the report,  Common Security: A Programme for Disarmament . At this time, Cold War tensions and the frightening prospect of nuclear war dominated the international agenda. The report laid bare the horrendous consequences of nuclear conflict, and exposed the fallacy that nuclear deterrence p...

Guest blog by Janos Paszor is Executive Director, Carnegie Climate Governance Initiative (C2G) at Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs former UN Assistant Secretary-General for Climate Change. Originally published in C2G On January 17, more than 60 scientists and scholars launched a global initiative calling for a “ non-use agreement on solar geoengineering ”. This has prompted a vigorous debate within the academic community focused on these issues, and could have an impact on the evolution of a wider discussion in policy circles as well. It is not C2G’s place to take a position on the initiative’s merits per se, but we do believe it underscores the challenge C2G was created to address: that potential climate-altering techniques are being considered increasingly seriously, and that this requires  governance . Governance is more than just creating rules: it involves a wide array of actors coming together to explore the challenges in many fora. By that measu...

On 1 January 2022, Germany has assumed the G7 Presidency. VENRO, the umbrella organisation of development and humanitarian NGOs in Germany, and the German NGO Forum on Environment and Development have been appointed by the German Government to coordinate the Civil 7 (C7) process. The aim is to establish a dialogue between civil society and the G7 governments and to inform the outcomes of the 2022 G7 Summit. To introduce this process and provide a space for discussion, we invite you to attend the International C7 Kick-off on 11 February 2022 from 13.00 to 15.00 CET via Zoom. The event will be held in English. Please register here and share this invitation with your international networks, local partners and interested colleagues.   We are delighted to announce that we will be joined for this event by the Sherpa of the German Government, Dr. Jörg Kukies, who will present the priorities for the German G7 Presidency and take part in a pane...

Guest blog:  by  Mark D  Wolf:  Mark is a sustainability consultant, sustainability career coach and executive coach who works with leaders to integrate sustainability into business strategy, operations, and culture. He is also the Founder & Co-Lead of the NYC Chapter of the International Society of Sustainability Professionals (ISSP), the largest global professional association for leaders across the sustainability sector.  He recently co-authored  Thriving in the New Business Environment, Why Supply Chain Matters  and has been published in the  Journal of Sustainable Banking and Finance . Last time I wrote about my 22 sustainability predictions for 2022. Today I will share my thinking about recent events that have me both inspired and confused on the response to ‘code red’ alarm sounded in the most recent IPCC report. I am thinking about COP26 Glasgow, Larry Fink’s annual letter  to CEOs and GreenBiz’s  Sta...

  Join us for this  Sustainability in Action  event to hear about the research and global policy frameworks supporting this work, particularly the Sustainable Development Goals. Emily Gvino, of the Re-Energize Disaster Risk Reduction and Resilience Project, will explain the current multi-level governance approach with respect to addressing vulnerability and how to improve upon the stakeholder identification and engagement process. She will compare current governance approaches and vulnerability indicators within the United States, as they relate to those left out of the process by discrimination, geography, governance, socioeconomic status, shocks, and fragility, or similar issues. The frequency and severity of weather-related hazards are expected to worsen with the impacts of climate change. By 2030, there could be 325 million people globally bearing the burden of these events. The  Re-En...

Guest blog by Nigel Topping High Level Champion for Climate Action at COP26. Originally published here. If there is one lesson we can take from 2021, it's that climate action is going to have to grow much faster to keep up with the climate change impacts we’re already seeing. Our two weeks at COP26 last year showed us the growing speed and determination with which businesses, investors, cities and regions are committing to halve emissions within this decade and reach net zero before 2050. At the same time, we need to adapt and build resilience to the unfolding impacts of climate change. 2021 saw catastrophic wildfires in California and Greece; floods in India, Australia, Turkey, China, Belgium, Germany and South Sudan; locust plagues in East Africa; deadly cold in Texas and melting of the permafrost that supports infrastructure and homes in Russia. There is no time to lose. If global warming reaches 1.5°C by 2030, nearly half the world’s population will be at risk from haz...