Felix Dodds comments on sustainable development, coffee & life

  Excellencies, distinguished colleagues, and dear friends, We write to you as part of our committed collaborations as COP31 President-Designate and President of Negotiations. Our first joint letter outlines a shared vision and commitment to be inclusive and consultative as grounded in transparency, cooperation and meaningful engagement with all Parties, to ensure the success of COP31. Climate action is a strategic pathway to sustainable prosperity, economic resilience and long-term energy security. The growing investments in clean energy, resilient infrastructure and sustainable technologies demonstrate the global momentum. COP31 presents a vital opportunity to further accelerate this momentum, particularly in the areas of clean energy, electrification, and resilient infrastructure. The decade since the Paris Agreement has been the hottest on record. At a time of intensifying climate and energy challenges, COP31 will be able to provide an important opportunity to strengthen collec...

"The General Assembly decided today to provide additional rights and privileges of participation to the State of Palestine when it assumes its position as chair of the ‘Group of 77’ developing nations," the release said on Tuesday. "The Assembly set out those terms in a resolution (document A/73/L.5) adopted by a recorded vote of 146 in favor to 3 against (Australia, Israel, United States), with 15 abstentions." UN Press The developing countries have chosen their Chair for 2019 which is Palestine. This will be in some circles controversial but it does perhaps bring to a head the issue of needing to find a solution. The selection of Palestine will have been done by the Arab regional group and then endorsed by the developing countries as a whole - 136 countries. Martin Khor, an advisor to the Malaysia-based Third World Network, told Inter Press Service: “I think it will be a historic and a significant development-first for the G77 countries to elect Palestine as...