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 look at his episode traces the turbulent decade between the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg and the lead-up to the Rio+20 Earth Summit.  Drawing from Only One Earth by Felix Dodds, Maurice Strong, and Michael Strauss, we explore how hopes for implementation gave way to bureaucratic drift, political fragmentation, and a shrinking role for stakeholders in global sustainable development processes.  From the creation—and unraveling—of the Commission on Sustainable Development's multi-year cycles to the emergence of a Green Economy agenda, this chapter details the strategic missteps and small wins that ultimately led to the call for a new summit in 2012. Featuring reflections on energy, agriculture, climate, and the MDGs, it captures a pivotal era of both di...

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 look at the World Summit on Sustainable Development - the 2002 Johannesburg Summit which was meant to reinvigorate global commitment to sustainable development, and arrived at a turning point in world affairs. With over 40,000 participants, including 104 heads of state, the summit echoed the ambitions of the 1992 Earth Summit but collided with a shifting global landscape in the aftermath of 9/11. This episode traces the ambitions, negotiations, and ultimate disappointments of WSSD, from the promise of a “Global Deal” to the emergence of public-private partnerships, and the tensions between trade, governance, and sustainability. We examine how institutional fragmentation, political polarization, and unmet financing commitments left the summit's bold agenda largely unfulfille...

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...

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 ...