While it seemed that the big climate issue had finally gained momentum both nationally and internationally, the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic appears to have diverted public and political attention again. However, there are upcoming negotiations regarding climate and biodiversity addressing the larger sustainable development arena. And the incentive, at least from the stakeholder side, is to bring the climate issue back to the centre of attention. Our guest for this show is Felix Dodds. We talk with him about the role of agencies, the changes of online negotiations due to the pandemic and the use of corridors for the COPs.

Felix brings years of experience with climate conferences and the involvement of stakeholders from civil society to the table. Currently, he is a Senior Fellow at the Global Research Institute and a Senior Affiliate at the Water Institute at the University of North Carolina. For 20 years, he was the executive director of the NGO 'Stakeholder Forum for Sustainable Future'. 

Questions touched upon in this episode include: 

What do insurance companies have to do with climate change?

Which role plays the global market when it comes to better climate regulations?

How has the pandemic and the use of online-communication tools changed/ impacted negotiations  and the inclusion of stakeholders?

How can stakeholders influence the arena of negotiations and make their voices heard?

And finally, why should you definitely bring a multiple socket to a climate conference?

Felix also has a website and blogs at blog.felixdodds.net, and tweets as @felixdodds. 

His forthcoming book (his 21st book publication, mentioned in the very beginning of the episode) is: Tomorrow's People and New Technology.  

Additional Links: 

Glasgow Climate Change Conference

Bloomberg Climate Coalition

Convention on biological diversity

United Nations Climate Change