Felix Dodds comments on sustainable development, coffee & life

P ress Release from the First Conference for the Transition Beyond Fossil Fuel At COP30, the Governments of Colombia and the Netherlands announced that they will co-host the First International Conference on Transitioning Away from Fossil Fuels. The announcement was made by Colombia’s Minister of Environment, Irene Vélez Torres, and the Netherlands’ Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Climate Policy and Green Growth, Sophie Hermans. The initiative was endorsed by a broad coalition of countries, including the 25 signatories of the Belém Declaration on the Transition Away from Fossil Fuels, which calls for accelerating efforts to implement the existing commitment to transition away from fossil fuels. Overcoming economic dependence, transforming supply and demand, and boosting international cooperation are guiding the Conference towards concrete decisions with more than 50 participating countries. One of the main results of the Conference is to define clear political, scientific and in...

Guest blog by Joyce Msuya, United Nations Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator, and former UN Assistant Secretary General and UNEP Interim Deputy Executive Director. Originally published here. The most powerful lessons I have learned about multilateralism have not only come from conference rooms at the UN Headquarters, but from the front lines of humanitarian action as well. From witnessing aid workers from different countries in a remote location, working together to carefully put in place plans or structures to save as many lives as possible. I’ve been moved by tireless, behind-the-scenes negotiations that kept a humanitarian corridor open for one more day – long enough for families to receive food, water or urgent medical care. I have met displaced mothers who did not know which flag was on the truck that brought food to their displacement site. The only thing that mattered to them was that it arrived – because someone som...

UN beyond 80: An opportunity to position multilevel collaboration and urbanization to save multilateralism and sustainability Guest  blog by Yunus Arikan   originally published here. The United Nations marked its 80th anniversary in 2025. Over time, numerous UN Secretaries-General have sought reforms of the UN system, but were unable to achieve more than incremental progress due to limited buy-in from Member States.  This year is different. The question is no longer whether the system needs reform, but whether it can deliver significant enough reform in time. With just four years until the review of the 2030 Agenda, the negotiations on what comes next will shape not only the future of sustainability, but also the credibility of the multilateral system itself. In a world shaped by overlapping crises – armed conflict, climate, biodiversity, inequality, and technological disruption – the gap between global commitments and real-world delivery is becoming almost impossible to ...

T he planet doesn’t argue. It doesn’t negotiate. It sends signals—rising seas, raging wildfires, heatwaves, melting glaciers. We said 1.5°C was the limit. We are crossing it. For decades, the world has heard the climate story—warnings, targets, distant deadlines. Too often, the response has been clouded by noise: delay, distraction, denial. But listen closer now. Beneath the noise, another signal is rising. Solar panels stretch across rooftops. Wind turbines line the horizon. Cities are being redesigned for people. Forests are being replanted. Positive tipping points are taking root in every corner of the planet. # WorldEnvironmentDay  2026 focuses on climate change—on the urgent signals the Earth is sending and the signals we choose to send back. UNEP’s global campaign calls on all of us to step in  #NowForClimate , and steer a world already in motion. See how you can  get involved . Azerbaijan will host the global observance, while a cascade of events, campai...

The world’s energy demand increased more slowly last year against a complex economic and geopolitical backdrop, but electricity use continued to rise strongly, latest IEA analysis shows Global energy demand grew at a slower pace in 2025 than the year before, but electricity consumption continued to rise much faster than overall demand – with solar PV becoming the largest contributor to growth in global energy supply for the first time, according to a new IEA report. The latest edition of the IEA’s Global Energy Review, published today, provides a comprehensive global assessment of trends across the energy sector in 2025. Based on the latest data, it covers energy demand, electricity generation and use, energy technology deployment, and energy-related carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. The report shows that overall global energy demand growth slowed to 1.3% in 2025, slightly below the previous decade’s average of 1.4% and significantly lower than in 2024. The main reasons for this slowdow...

  Earth Day Message from SUNx Brussels / Malta 20 th April 2026   SUNx Malta – Strong Universal Network Releases New “Symphony of Change” Dodo4Kids video to Celebrate Earth Day 2026   Composed and sung by Platinum Award winning artist Alston Koch, this catchy 4-minute video features our resurrected Dodo teaching a group of kids to help with Ocean Clean up.   It is also part of the Strong Earth Festival on 29 th April (Earth Day + 7) celebrating the enormous contribution of the late Maurice Strong to protection of our planet – including organising the Stockholm 1972 and Rio 1992 Earth Summits, leading to the Conventions on Climate Change, on Biodiversity and the SDG’s: as well as launching the Earth Charter in 2000 with Mikhael Gorbachev.   Professor Geoffrey Lipman President of SUN x Malta said “It’s always a pleasure to produce music with Alston for the good of our planet. And this time to incorporate our Dodo4Kids in the video urging the n...