Felix Dodds comments on sustainable development, coffee & life

With just over one week to go, you still have time for those stocking filer books. Here are a few of my most recent ones that you might consider.  Heroes of Environmental Diplomacy: Profiles in Courage I edited with Chris Spence The book looks at how individuals can change the world?  Today, when impersonal forces and new technologies seem to be directing our lives and even our entire planet in ways we cannot control, this question feels more relevant than ever before. This book argues that we can all make a difference. It tells inspiring stories of individuals who have had a global impact that is beyond dispute, as well as others who have brought about change that is understated or hard to measure, where the scale of the impact will only become clear in years to come. While some are scientists, others are politicians, diplomats, activists, and even businesspeople.  However, they all share the qualities of perseverance, patience, a willingness to innovate or try ne...

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  Luc Hoffmann, Geoffrey Matthews, and Eskandar Firouz: Pioneers of the Ramsar Conven tion international sustainable development efforts. The podcast is produced by Tanner Glenn Wetlands are among the planet's most vital ecosystems, yet they face constant threats from human activity. In this episode, we uncover the inspiring story behind the Ramsar Convention, the first international treaty to protect wetlands worldwide. We follow three pioneering figures— Swiss ornithologist Luc Hoffmann, British ornithologist Geoffrey Matthews, and Iranian conservationist Eskandar Firouz —as they lay the groundwork for global wetland conservation. From their early conservation efforts to their triumph over Cold War challenges, these visionaries rallied nations to sign the Ramsar Convention in 1971. Join us to explore how t...

I read the Independent High Level Expert Group on Climate Finance report ,  which said that the minimum concessional public financing needed was $390 billion annually. It  also puts developing countries’ need for external climate finance at around $1 trillion a year by 2030 and $1.3 trillion by 2035. At its core, the agreement in Baku targets developed countries taking the lead on mobilising core financing of at least USD 300 billion annually by 2035 and an 'additional layer' of up to USD 1.3 trillion, primarily encompassing private financing. The $300 billion was rightly condemned by the Global South negotiators. This funding will not be only grant-based money but will come from a wide variety of sources, public and private, bilateral and multilateral, including – undefined - “alternative sources”. In many cases, this will just add debt to the developing countries already heavily burdened by debt from previous development assistance. So, no agreement that this wa...

  In November 2024 the UNFCCC COP29   focused  o n negotiating a new climate finance goal, the New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) , to replace the existing $100 billion annual commitment that expires in 2025. The NCQG is a key part of the 2015 Paris Agreement and aims to help developing countries adapt to climate change and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The goal is to provide more than the 2009-set goal of $100 billion per year to address the needs of developing economies. The United Nations' Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD4) will take place in Servile in Spain from June 30–July 3, 2025. The conference aims to implement policies and mobilize resources to achieve the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) will support the conference. The aim of the webinar held on the 9th of December which was on  Financing the Sustainable Development Goals and t...

Guest blog by: Michael Stanley-Jones , Enviromental Policy and Governance Fellow, United Nations Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH) In the Science Talk, ʻInclusive Stakeholder Participation in Watershed Management’, Michael Stanley-Jones , Environmental Policy and Governance Fellow UNU-INWEH, explored how to mobilize the participation of the civic stakeholders in the negotiation, adoption and implementation of legally binding policies affecting the management of two major watersheds: the Danube River Basin and the Santa Clara Basin Basin in California’s Silicon Valley region.   Both cases illustrate how inclusion of environmental and other civic stakeholders led to success negotiation and implementation of the Danube Environmental Protection Convention (1994) and the regional watershed management and pollution prevention plans )1998-2002) aimed at protecting and enhacing the watershed of the Lower South San Francisco Bay. The Danube River stretches 2,780 ...

A guest blog by  Chris  Atkins   (Group of Nations) -  Empowered 2,000+ companies as change-makers, helping them share innovative solutions to global challenges with G7, G20, B20, and COP audiences. Let's connect to drive positive change. The final G20 declaration successfully integrates 15 out of 24 recommendations from the Business 20 (B20 Brasil) private sector engagement group. Under the theme "Social Inclusion and the Fight Against Hunger and Poverty," nine recommendations were fully embraced. Similarly, four recommendations under "Sustainable Development, Energy Transitions, and Climate Action" were fully considered. In terms of "Reform of Global Governance Institutions," two recommendations were fully aligned with the final G20 document. Seven other recommendations were partially accepted, while only two were not referenced in the final document of the world's largest economies, which convened on November 18-19 in Rio de Janeiro. Within the...

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 Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti , the former Brazilian Ambassador to the United Nations, to international sustainable development efforts.  It specifically examines her role in the lead-up to and during the Rio+20 Conferenc e, a United Nations summit held in 2012 to review progress on sustainable development and formulate future plans.  The podcast highlights Viotti's diplomatic skills, her commitment to multilateralism, and her role in advancing critical agreements like the Sustainable Development Goals. The authors present Viotti as an exemplar of a quiet but effective diplomat who prioritizes consensus building and avoids unnecessary conflict, ultimately furthering the cause of sustainable development on a global scale. The authors of the chapter were   Izabella Mônica Vieira Teixeira, André Aranha...