Heroes of Environmental Diplomacy: Profiles in Courage

“Heroes of Environmental Diplomacy is a fascinating read. While many books focus just on the issues, this one provides valuable insights into the people who made things happen. As someone who has been involved in the UN and intergovernmental negotiations for many years, I can attest to the importance of unique individuals in helping secure success. As we enter a critical decade for humanity in our struggle with both climate change and biodiversity, this book shows we can succeed in crafting a path to a more sustainable future and illustrates the role individual heroes can play.”

Elizabeth Maruma Mrema, Executive Secretary of the UN Environment Programme’s Convention on Biological Diversity

“Tina Turner couldn’t have been more wrong when she sang ‘We don’t need another hero’. As this book shows, humanity has always needed heroes to prevent short-termist, populist and destructive forces holding sway and leading the charge towards environmental ruin. Who will step forward and be the heroes of this decade? Heaven knows they’re sorely needed – and this book shows with both depth and colour what heroism entails and what it brings.”

Richard Black, Honorary Research Fellow, Grantham Institute, Imperial College, former BBC Environment Correspondent

“Heroes of Environmental Diplomacy” opens with this simple question “What makes a hero?” The answers are found woven in the inspiring stories of the courageous, ordinary people profiled in this treasure of a storybook. Readers will enjoy an intimate look at the struggles, perseverance, hope, and stamina that inspired the people highlighted in the book to work tirelessly to turn aspirations into realities. This treasure of a book will greatly expand the knowledge base of the foreign policy community, but equally important it will inspire a whole new generation of justice-seekers to keep on talking, writing, debating, compromising – and ultimately creating the future agreements needed to secure the brighter future these ordinary heroes have gifted us the opportunity to pursue.” 　

Mark Ritchie, Global Minnesota　

“Heroes of Environmental Diplomacy makes a profound contribution to the literature on global governance innovation by detailing the practical, creative, and often-times courageous ways diplomats have navigated complex and politically fraught multilateral environmental negotiations. With original insights on circumventing spoilers and mobilizing multi-actor coalitions for progressive environmental change, the book will serve as an important playbook for policy researchers, practitioners, and advocates concerned with updating global institutions, legal instruments, and other arrangements to address current and emerging global challenges.”

Dr. Richard Ponzio, Senior Fellow and Director, Global Governance, Justice & Security Prram, Stimson Center

“In Greek mythology, the hero was half a God. The etymology remains but the meaning has evolved and become more varied. A hero has become a sort of superwoman/superman and protector, a brave and courageous person, in brief, a winner. In French a héros can be the main protagonist of a narrative. Their trait of character is to be embodied in an ideal system of values, to show self-sacrifice in front of critics and perseverance in a world that is often disheartening. Their feats and achievements must be reported to be models of excellence. This is all the merit of the present publication. During my career, I had the privilege to meet several of the heroes described within, who deserve to be mentioned. The French author Malraux wrote: “There is no hero, without an audience”. I would say that they have mostly been convincing leaders. Indeed, they were seasoned negotiators and brilliant spokespersons, supported, however, by dedicated assistants conducting specific discussions. Corridor diplomacy is essential in the multilateral arena. Therefore, the whole cast are heroes!”

Marcel A. Boisard, PhD, Former UN Assistant Secretary General and Executive Director of UNITAR

“History is not the result of anonymous or mechanic forces, but of human action. And human action, while shaped by environmental and social factors, essentially means that human leadership is important to shape history’s course. This has sometimes been overlooked, and that is especially true for environmental history, since here the natural focus is exactly on environmental factors and social activities as aggregates more than individual action. But also environmental protection has a deeply human side and it is good that the new book edited by Felix Dodds and Chris Spence, Heroes of Environmental Diplomacy: Profiles in Courage, brings to the forefront those who have fought on the international stage for rules making the world more a fair, equitable and sustainable for all of us to live in together. It is interesting to see a common thread for the chapters, namely that not only professionalism and success, but also the human side and compassion of the actors is important for their career. Regardless of their focus, more technical ones like the ‘Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal’ or more conservation-driven once, environmental conventions, treaties and events like the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, the International Whaling Commission or the Rio Earth summit, show that environmental heroes need professionalism and compassion. This book is a welcome addition to the existing, more technical literature on environmental history well suited for students, academics and people working in the field of international environmental cooperation.”

Dr. Bernhard Seliger, Resident Representative Hanns Seidel Foundation – Korea Office

“I have read this book with pleasure. The book concept is refreshing and gives in a fascinating personalized insight into how important steps on global environmental progress have been achieved. The authors manage to write the various stories in a way which is highly readable and give great background about serious issues and at times amusing characterizations of people who have been global environmental heroes. Definitely recommended reading for those interested in environment and the way of international negotiations proceed”.

Rob Visser, former Acting Director of the Environment Directorate, OECD

“Heroes of Environmental Diplomacy vividly illustrates how leadership arises from necessity and how individuals with vision and stubborn optimism make diplomacy and multilateralism work and bring lasting results for human development. This is a very accessible book for anyone interested to learn about how some of the most important struggles in multilateral environmental history have been won, and the inspiring individuals at the center of those achievements.”

Tom Rivett-Carnac, Founder, Global Optimism

Presenting an uplifting and gripping narrative, this book is an invaluable resource for students, scholars, activists and professionals who are seeking to understand how consensus is reached in these global meetings and how individuals can have a genuine impact on preserving our planet and reinforcing the positive message that global cooperation can actually work.

• Created on 20 January 2023.

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Comments about Felix

“Felix has been a true global leader, a unique person with the capacity to define global issues, based on an in-depth understanding of the concerns and priorities of stakeholders at all levels. Such a breath of vision is rare, and we feel privileged to have been able to work so closely with Felix throughout the Rio+20 process.”
Paula Caballero Gomez, Director, Directorate of Economic, Social and Environmental of Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Columbia

“It takes a special kind of stamina to survive international processes and negotiations. It takes a very special person to make sense of it all and to help others do the same. And it takes a very, very special person to have fun at the same time. Meet Felix Dodds – a very, very special person.”
Rachel Kyte, Vice President of Sustainable Development, World Bank

“Felix is an extremely knowledgeable writer, expert, author, blogger provocateur on all things to do with sustainable development. I learned a huge amount from Felix on my contribution to the Negotiating the Sustainable Development Goals books.”
Ambassador David Donoghue

“Felix has the great ability to look beyond the obvious, piercing foresight to identify the challenges of the future and above all the courage of conviction to suggest solutions that question conventional wisdom. “
Navid Hanif, Director, Strategic Division, United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs

Felix is a genius for convincing the most skeptical legislator of the eminent reasonableness of the sustainable development case”
Rt Hon John Gummer MP former Secretary of State for the Environment

“Felix has been a passionate campaigner for people’s involvement in the central challenges of our time – how to balance our consumption of natural resources with the earth’s capacity, at the same time as addressing global inequality and poverty. He has enormously enriched the global intellectual debate on sustainability issues, and has been a “thought leader” of his age.”
Crispian Olver, Former South African Director General Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism

“There is hardly anyone who knows the international sustainable development scene better than Felix Dodds. A lot of progress that has been achieved over the past 20 years could not have been achieved without his engagement and input and his ability to bring together key actors, civil society, governments and international organization for the sake of our environment.”
Alexander Juras, Chief Major Groups, and Stakeholders UNEP

“Felix Dodds was one of those and I am deeply grateful to him for his decades of work in and for the UN. Felix was also a true believer in the idea of sustainable development and helped to conceptualize it in the many things he wrote and edited. “
Nitin Desai former UN Secretary General of WSSD

“Rumor has it that there’s more consensus on Felix’s achievements than on the reality of human-induced climate change.”
Dirk-Jan Verdonk, WSPA Programme Manager

“The work done by Felix to promote the sustainability agenda and the crucial role of the UN system as well as the broad involvement of civil society goes far beyond what one could expect from one individual.”
Johan Kuylenstierna Executive Director Stockholm Environment Institute

Felix Dodds deserves high respect and admiration for his unswerving and dedicated efforts as one of the key leaders of the global NGO movement for sustainable development for several decades.”
Lars Goran Engfeldt, Former Environment Ambassador of Sweden

“Felix Dodds took the torch of global governance/NGO agenda setting and decision making from Chip Lindner’s hand in 2000 and then damn near single-handedly spread its light over the world. Felix carved out the path to Rio+20 when nobody else gave a damn. “
Don Edwards, Justice and Sustainability Associates

“Felix Dodds has made a difference; in UN deliberations on sustainability, there are few who can say as much.”
David Hales, Former Assistant Secretary at the USAID

“Felix is a rock on which the Stakeholder Forum built a generation of influence, initiatives, responding campaigns and successes.”
Jean Pierre Thebault, Ambassador for the Environment, France

“I couldn’t dare to admit to which extent Felix has influenced international sustainable development policy”.
Jorge Laguna Celis, Permanent Mission of Mexico to the UN

“Felix has been a permanent fixture in the world of major groups, both as an immovable force and a force for inspiration, determination and confidence boosting when at times the cause he and so many of us have espoused has often seemed hopeless and frustrating.”
Nick Nuttal, UNEP Communications Director

“His never ending optimism has pulled civil society community through many bleak and cantankerous moments.”
Emily Benson, Green Economy Coalition

“At a time of mounting threats to the sustainability of the planet, and as we prepare for the 20 year review of the original Rio Conference, it is essential to understand the road that has brought us to this juncture, so that we can understand the momentous opportunities and tremendous challenges that we face in reaching for a sustainable future. Dodds, Strauss and Strong provide a compelling narrative of the road that brought us to this point and outline a potential path for moving forward.” 

“There is hardly anyone who knows the international sustainable development scene better than Felix Dodds. A lot of the progress that has been achieved over the past twenty years could not have been achieved without his engagement and input.”
Adnan Z. Amin, Director-General, International Renewable Energy Agency