Felix Dodds comments on sustainable development, coffee & life

Guest Blog by the Green Economy Coalition: New research   launched today   shows  that two-thirds of countries have no or minimal green recovery policies in place. Analysis of 32 countries, and around US$11.1 trillion of economic support shows that only a small handful of rich countries are investing in a green economy as they emerge from the pandemic. The research undertaken by the Green Economy Coalition confirms that  Greta Thunberg's accusations  that politicians are making empty promises to ‘build back better’ or kick start a ‘green economy’ in the wake of COVID-19 are well founded. Sweden, France and now Spain are leading the race for a green recovery. Their recovery plans dedicate at least 40% towards low carbon infrastructure, applying environmental conditions to carbon-heavy industry bailouts and creating a green jobs programme for the long-term unemployed. But even these leaders are preoccupied with one-off low-carbon projects and are shying awa...

Guest blog: R. Bong Vergara is the founder and director for CYPHER Impact Investment Exchange (CYPHER X), a California nonprofit focu s ed on the investment readiness of women-led startups.  L ow investment flow and poor investment readiness impede the participation of women entrepreneurs in the technology field, thus, in advancing the STI framework for local Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) implementation . Only 2% of funded startups are women-led. If women startups are to fully contribute to the low-carbon transition, it is important to eliminate low investment flow and poor investment readiness as gendered and racialized barriers. Doing so requires strategies that are participatory, inclusive, and creative. I’m part of a team of advanced practice social workers that is laser-focused on supporting women-led startups; we particularly support those working on SDGs 1, 3, and 10 because of their goodness-of-fit with social welfare issues. If all communities, no matter thei...