Felix Dodds comments on sustainable development, coffee & life

Originally published on Inter Press Service here. With so much bad news about climate change lately, is it too late for the world to tackle the problem? Professor Felix Dodds and Chris Spence review the current state-of-play.   SAN FRANCISCO, California / APEX, North Carolina, February 1 2025 (IPS) - When it comes to climate change, the awful news has been coming thick and fast. We now know that in 2024, the Earth’s average temperature exceeded 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels for the first time. Extreme weather seems to be multiplying, with shocking fires in Los Angeles and storms striking Europe and America’s east coast since the start of the year. Incoming U.S. President Donald Trump has announced his country will turn its back on the ambitious Paris Agreement adopted in 2015. Meanwhile, the United Nations’ latest annual summit—COP29 in Azerbaijan—ended in November with complaints it had done too little to change the narrative. Some even questioned whether the UN’s ...

Vision Statement “ Our biggest challenge in this new century is to take an idea that seems abstract – sustainable development – and turn it into a reality for all the world’s people.” – Kofi Annan, United Nations Secretary-General (1997 – 2006) Two fundamental statements from the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted in September 2015 by all Member States of the United Nations, guide our work: “We are determined to end poverty and hunger, in all their forms and dimensions, and to ensure that all human beings can fulfil their potential in dignity and equality and in a healthy environment by protecting the planet from degradation, including through sustainable consumption and production, sustainably managing its natural resources and taking urgent action on climate change, so that it can support the needs of the present and future generations”. “All countries and all stakeholders, acting in collaborative partnership, will implement this plan. We are resolved to free the human...