Felix Dodds comments on sustainable development, coffee & life

Allen L. White is Vice President and Senior Fellow, Tellus Institute; Co-Founder and former CEO of the Global Reporting Initiative;, Co-founder of Corporation 20/20; and Founder of the Global Initiative for Sustainability Ratings.   The first weeks of the Trump presidency have raised profound anxieties among government leaders and citizens alike. A steady stream of ill-prepared executive orders, unnerving tweets and unsettling phone calls have left allies and adversaries alike confused about Mr. Trump’s intentions.  In a matter of days, his bellicose tone has raised serious threats of confrontation with China and Iran, alienated Australia, and rattled relations with Mexico and European allies. Meanwhile, the institutional foundations of post- War stability—e.g. NATO, World Trade Organization, United Nations— face a U.S. hostile to the very notion of international rules of conduct. Disruption for disruption’s sake seems to be the order of the day. And while “America Fi...

By Felix Dodds and Jenkins Thomas The  election of Donald Trump  as the 45th President of the United States  has sent shockwaves around the world. He has said in the election campaign that he is committed to scraping the Paris Climate Agreement (though there are indications he may backtrack on this now). The Agreement that came into force on the 4 th of November and the US might start the process to withdraw when he takes office in January. This will be within weeks of Mr. Antonio Gutteres, the new Secretary-General of the United Nations, assuming office at a time of great global uncertainty. Not only with what the new President might do on climate but also on Syria and close the US door to refugees. Mr Gutteres will be succeeding what has become a transformative leadership for sustainable development laid by his predecessor, Mr. Ban Ki Moon. Ban Ki Moon will go down in history as the UN chief that achieved some solid feats during his two terms. For ...