Felix Dodds comments on sustainable development, coffee & life

The following seven podcast episodes are adapted from the book  "Only One Earth" by Felix Dodds, Maurice Strong (the father of sustainable development), and Michael Straus e In this episode, we trace the critical years between the 1997 UN Special Session (Rio+5) and the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg. These were years of both setbacks and breakthroughs — from faltering development aid and U.S. resistance to climate commitments, to the rise of multi-stakeholder dialogues that reshaped global sustainability conversations. We explore how NGOs, and other stakeholders, and reform-minded governments worked to reignite momentum, set the stage for new governance structures, and ensure sustainable development remained on the global agenda. Episode 5:  The Journey from Rio+5 to the World Summit on Sustainable Development - Rebuilding Momentum (1997-2001) "At a time of mounting threats to the sustainability of the planet, and as we prepare for the 20-y...

The following s even podcast episodes are adapted from the book "Only One Earth" by Felix Dodds, Maurice Strong (the father of sustainable development), and Michael Strauss .   The podcasts will cover the development of first environment and then sustainable development internationally from the 1960s to the Rio+20 Summit in 2012. Episode 1: The Road to Stockholm: The Birth of Global EnvironmentAction . Join us as we journey through the turbulent 1960s, a decade of civil rights, student activism, and the emergence of the modern environmental movement. From Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring to the first Earth Day and the 1972 Stockholm Conference, this episode explores the pivotal moments that shaped global environmental consciousness. Featuring insights from "Only One Earth" by Felix Dodds, Maurice Strong, and Michael Strauss, we explore the legacy of activism that continues to shape sustainability efforts today. "At a time of mounting threats to the sustainabi...

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 preparation for Rio+20 I, Michael Strauss with Maurice Strong wrote a book " Only One Earth: The Long Road via Rio to Sustainable Development - looking at the history of the last 40 years and what the challenges for the future are. Of course I would love you all to read the book. If you want some teasers then I produced four podcasts which you might want to listen to: EXCERPTS FROM 'ONLY ONE EARTH' - CHAPTER 1: STOCKHOLM 1972 EXCERPTS FROM 'ONLY ONE EARTH' - CHAPTER 2: EARTH SUMMIT 199 2, RIO DE JANEIRO EXCERPTS FROM 'ONLY ONE EARTH' - CHAPTER 3: WORLD SUMMIT ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT , JOHANNESBURG 2002 EXCERPTS FROM 'ONLY ONE EARTH' - CHAPTER 4: RIO+20 A NEW BEGINNING It is important as many of us are preparing to attend the UN General Assembly  in ten days time (23 September) where there will be important decisions on the road to the Post-2015 - to reflect on what we have learnt in the past. The book and the podcasts try and not ...