Posts

Showing posts from January, 2025

Maurice Strong : Pioneer of the International Environmental Movement podcast

Image
T his podcast, created by Felix Dodds and Chris Spence, the editors of the book  Heroes of Environmental Diplomacy: Profiles in Courage,  focuses on the contributions of key people involved in international negotiations.   In the realm of environmental diplomacy, few figures have been as influential as Maurice Strong , a Canadian businessman and diplomat. In this episode, we delve into Strong's remarkable journey from his humble beginnings in rural Canada to becoming a key architect of the international environmental movement. We explore his significant contributions to landmark events such as the 1972 Stockholm Conference on Human Environment and the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, where he helped shape Agenda 21. Additionally, we highlight his role in establishing the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and his advocacy for inclusive stakeholder engagement in environmental policymaking. Join us as we celebrate Strong's legacy as a champion for sustainable ...

Guest blog: ⚠️ THE REAL SCANDALS including hijacking democracy

Image
    Guest blog from the European Environmal Bureau (ENB) In the EU, environmental NGOs face an unprecedented attack  – and alarm bells are ringing. Disinformation about NGO funding, coupled with attempts to fabricate a false scandal, has forced us to bust a few myths... This is the newsletter that we would never have wanted to write. But at a time when the most basic democratic values are being so openly eroded, this campaign to shrink civic space is far more sinister than it appears.  👀   WHAT'S GOING ON?  Emboldened by a globally surging authoritarian agenda , some EU policymakers are attempting to backtrack on environmental and social safeguards. How? By targeting NGOs.  On Wednesday evening , some MEPs brought a targeted debate to the EU Parliament regarding the...

Available on pre-order new book Environmental Lobbying at the United Nations: A Guide to Protecting Our Planet

Image
  Avilable on pre-order - Chris Spence and my new book - Environmental Lobbying at the United Nations: A Guide to Protecting Our Planet  - a must for all stakeholders engaged in the UN. This book provides a step-by-step, insiders’ guide on how to lobby and engage successfully at the United Nations. It reveals how the United Nations, which plays such a key role on issues from climate change to pollution of our air, land and sea, really works. In a world of rapid climate change, a flood of forever chemicals and plastic pollution, and the extinction of so much wildlife around the world, we need the convening power of the United Nations now more than ever. What’s more, we need individuals and organisations dedicated to making sure the United Nations has the most positive impact it can. And yet, global diplomacy can be dauntingly challenging and complex. Drawing on the authors' combined sixty years’ professional experience of the United Nations system, this book contains essen...

Ambassador André Corrêa do Lago chosen as president of COP30

Image
André Corrêa do Lago in a meeting with President Lula, ministers Marina Silva (Environment), Maria Laura da Rocha (substitute at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs) and Minister Rui Costa (Chief of Staff). Image: Ricardo Stuckert / PR The  Announcement came Tuesday, following a meeting at Planalto Palace between President Lula and authorities involved in organizing the UN Conference on Climate Change, to be held in November in Belém (taken from the Brasilian Government website here. he president of the main international event to be held in Brasil in 2025 — the 2025 UN Climate Change Conference (COP 30) in Belém, in November — has just been named: Ambassador André Aranha Corrêa do Lago, current secretary of Climate, Energy and Environment of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs [ Ministério das Relações Exteriores /MRE]. It is an immense honor, and I believe that Brasil can play an incredible role in this COP. We will have to build it together. The government, civil society, businesses, al...

Paula Cabellaro the Architect of the Sustainable Development Goals Podcast

Image
T his podcast, created by Felix Dodds and Chris Spence, the editors of the book  Heroes of Environmental Diplomacy: Profiles in Courage,  focuses on the contributions of key people involved in international negotiations.   Meet this week Paula Caballero, the visionary Colombian government official whose tireless advocacy brought the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to life. In this episode, we trace Caballero's journey from the initial idea in 2010, during the lead-up to the Rio+20 conference, to the successful adoption of the SDGs as part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in 2015. We’ll explore the significant challenges she faced in rallying support from both developed and developing nations, as well as the consultations and negotiations that led to the establishment of the Open Working Group (OWG), which played a crucial role in defining the SDGs. Join us as we celebrate Caballero's dedication and resilience in shaping a more sustainable future for al...

Guest blog - Future of UNFCCC Process, New Finance Goals Discussed at ecbi New Delhi Seminar

Image
Guest blog - Professor Benito Müller is Managing Director of Oxford Climate Policy (a not-for-profit company aimed at capacity building for developing country climate change negotiators), and Director of the European Capacity Building Initiative (ecbi), an international initiative for sustained capacity building in support of international climate change negotiations. He has served as Adviser to the LDC Group Chair (2011-12) and the Africa Group Chair (2012-13). He participated in the deliberations of the Transitional Committee (TC) for the Green Climate Fund (GCF) as an Adviser to the LDC TC members, who he has also been advising on the GCF Board and the UNFCCC Standing Committee on Finance. This was original published on ecbi website here. The 2025 ecbi New Delhi seminar, which took place at the India International Centre on 6 January 2025, focused on: future arrangements for the UN climate change process to make it fit for purpose; and the New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) for ...