Lessons from Language: CFS41 in Hindsight

by Khristian Méndez // Two weeks ago, Chairperson Gerda Verburg was wrapping up CFS41 in a room that had perhaps a third of the people who were there on opening day. An exhausting experience, this plenary session of the CFS planted several ideas in me about language. If you like numbers, ghosts, or interpretation, keep reading. Numerical Language Days of negotiations: 8.  Average number of...

Sustainability: A First World Problem

Due to my old-school version of note taking---by hand and chronologically, in a little notebook---I unfortunately cannot recall the full context in which session staffer Stephanie Hanson of the One Acre Fund talked about sustainability, but I’ll give it the good old college try.  Ms. Hanson stated that the question of sustainability – with regard to agricultural development in developing...

Weaving Climate Knowledge in a Torn-Apart Country: the First Guatemalan Congress on Climate Change

by khristian méndez //   History was made today in Guatemala City: Government entities, private sector representatives, all but one of the universities in the country, international organizations, NGOs and indigenous peoples all came together for the First National Congress on Climate Change. To top off a rare collaboration: the presence and keynote address of Vicente Barros, Co-Chair from...

You Could Have It All – Day 5 and Report of OWG12

by khristian méndez // The 12th session of the Open Working Group on the Sustainable Development Goals has come to an end. At 5pm on friday, co-chair Kamau wrapped up the informal session of negotiations of the OWG, and opened the formal consultations, to be wrapped up 30 minutes later. During all of Friday, we heard the positions from 20+ member states on the final proposed SDG: Means of...

Heat in the Room – Day 4 OWG12

by khristian méndez // Temperature has risen in New York City, both on all of the concrete and glass surfaces of this giant man-made complex, as well as in the negotiation rooms. Everybody can agree that we need to eradicate poverty, have access to food, education and health, but as we descend down the list of goals, the views become more and more heated. Divergence on Biodiversity This morning...