Websites for Rio+20/Earth Summit 2012: Rio+20 Website, Earth Summit Website

Rio+20

In Rio, Brazil, during June 2012 a United Nations meeting takes place that marks the 20th anniversary of the landmark UN Conference on Environment and Development (or ‘Earth Summit’). The original summit took place in Rio between 3–14 June 1992, was attended by 172 governments, and set the agenda for the sustainable development of Earth’s resources (see textbook, pages 104–105, 292). Particular achievements were steps made towards preserving the World’s biodiversity (through the Convention on Biological Diversity) and addressing the enhanced greenhouse effect via the Climate Change Convention (which in turn led to the Kyoto Protocol). Read a history of preceding and subsequent meetings to the 1992 Earth Summit here.

The 2012 UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UN CSD, or ‘Rio+20’) has three main objectives: to secure political commitment from nations to sustainable development; assess progress towards internationally agreed commitments (e.g. CO2 reductions); and examine new and emerging challenges. Issues will focus on two themes: economic development in the context of sustainable development (i.e. the encouragement of ‘green economies’) with an emphasis on poverty eradication; and how institutional frameworks can be developed on a more sustainable basis. Seven priority areas have been highlighted: energy, sustainable cities, decent jobs, food security and sustainable agriculture, water, oceans, and disaster readiness.

Websites for Rio+20/Earth Summit 2012: Rio+20 website, Earth Summit website

View videos about Rio +20 here and here.

Key facts about Rio+20

What is Rio+20?

Rio+20 is the short name for the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development to take place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in June 2012. It represents an historic opportunity to ‘define pathways to a safer, more equitable, cleaner, greener and more prosperous world for all’.
It takes place 20 years after the original Earth Summit, where countries adopted Agenda 21 – a blueprint to rethink economic growth, advance social equity and ensure environmental protection.
Rio+20 again brings governments, international institutions and major groups together to agree on a range of measures that can reduce poverty while promoting decent jobs, clean energy and a more sustainable and fair use of resources.

The issues

Official discussions will focus on two main themes: How to build a green economy to achieve sustainable development and lift people out of poverty(including support for developing countries that will allow them to find a green path for development); and how to improve international coordination for sustainable development.

What will happen at Rio+20?

Thousands of participants from governments, the private sector, NGOs and other stakeholders will gather in Rio at the end of May and beginning of June 2012 to more effectively initiate and coordinate efforts towards sustainable development.
Governments are expected to adopt clear and focused practical measures for implementing sustainable development, based on the many examples of success seen over the last 20 years.

What is sustainable development?

Meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Sustainable development consists of three pillars: economic development, social development and environmental protection.

Rio+20: Facts and figures on the issues
85% / The percentage of all fish stocks that are overexploited, depleted, recovering, or fully exploited
884 million / The number of people who lack access to clean water (ca. 3 x the population of the United States)
2.6 billion / Number of people without basic sanitation
2.7 billion / Number of people who use basic biomass (e.g. wood, animal dung, crop waste) for household energy
20% / The percentage of the world’s population without access to electricity
5.2 million / Hectares of forest lost per year, net value (difference between forest lost and forest planted)
50+ years / The number of years it will take for the ozone layer to recover to pre-1980s levels
66% / The percentage of services provided by nature for humanity that are in decline
38% / Increase in the annual CO2 emissions between 1990 and 2009

Preparing for the conference, and beyond

The UN’s Panel on Global Sustainabilityis taking the lead in ensuring that the opportunities of Rio+20 come to fruition. The Panel is co-chaired by Tarja Halonen, President of Finland, and Jacob Zuma, Prime Minister of South Africa, and includes many world figures in sustainable development and related fields. At the negotiations for Rio+20 in early 2012, the panel publishedits report entitled Resilient People, Resilient Planet: A future worth choosing. The report summarizes the challenges

faced by humanity, and outlines a plan of what needs to be done nationally and internationally to bring about a sustainable future that is fair for all countries. The report gives an indication of what can be achieved at the 2012 Earth Summit, as well as offering a general blueprint for the future of sustainability beyond the summit. The Panel’s 56 recommendations include initiatives ‘to eradicate poverty, reduce inequality and make growth inclusive, and production and consumption more sustainable, while combating climate change and respecting a range of other planetary boundaries’.

A draft document of the one to be presented to Heads of Government in Rio, June 2012, known as the ‘Zero Draft’ document, contains the acknowledgement that there are scientifically assessed ‘planetary boundaries’ that, if overstepped, could result in irreversible damage to Earth’s systems. The idea is backed by the UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon.

Early negotiations that prepared the groundwork for the summit had, some NGOs claim, promoted the conviction that new technologies will solve the world’s environmental problems. Pat Mooney, of the Canada’s Action Group on Erosion, Technology and Concentration (ETC) claimed that ‘as policymakers, there’s no longer any need to make policies, all you need to do is let technology sort your problems for you’, and that the draft Rio document has the assumption that there is a ‘techno fix’ for every problem’. You can read more about these issues here.

Useful resources

A dictionary to help understand terms regarding Rio+20, and sustainable development in general
Analysis of theZero Draft document
Live streaming of the 2012 Earth Summit available here
Handbook for Rio +20, produced by the UN CSD and the Brazilian Federal Government
Rio+20 education site
UN CSD Children and Youth site
Rio+20 portal
The science of Rio+20

Activities

Create your own sustainable development timeline, summarizing key events over the past 50 years. Use this timeline to help you.

The UN Panel of Global Sustainability say in their report (‘A future worth choosing’ – see above) that ‘our recommendations will require commitment – and action – from citizens across all sectors of society: from Heads of State and Government and local mayors to business executives, scientists, religious leaders, civil society activists and not least, the leaders of the next generation, today’s youth. Each of us must be a part of the solution.’ Discuss in your class this statement and the degree to which you agree with it.

A report from WWF prior to Rio+20 claimed that the World’s environment was getting worse not better (see also this article, and a BBC report). To what extent are the aims of Rio+20 realistic, based on the experiences of the outcomes from the original Earth Summit? Draw up a list within your class of aims that you think are attainable, and those that you think areunrealistic. Examine the evidence about progress made since the 1992 Rio Earth Summit and whether the commitments made there have been achieved – will Rio+20 be able to make further progress towards sustainability? One criticism of the Zero Draft document (which was used as the basis of negotiations at the conference) is that the outcomes will not be legally binding, and only voluntary national targets will be put in place (see material on this siteto help you).Are decisions made at the conference likely to be successfully implemented without the support of legally binding political commitments? Discuss these issues in your class.

You are part of the organizing committee for Rio+30, which is to take place in June 2022. What issues will be on the agenda? (Use feedback from activity 3 to inform your decisions.)