The 2012 global UN Conference on Sustainable Development (known as “Rio+20”) is an opportunity that happens only once every 20 years, Governments, organisations and people from around the world come together to reaffirm their commitment to a sustainable future for our planet. In June 2012 Rio de Janeiro will be the place to be when it hosts the world’s governments to discuss the state of our planet.
The Rio+20 story started 20 years also in Rio when the first ‘Earth Summit’ took place – a ground-breaking meeting which put climate change and biodiversity on the global political agenda.
The 1992 Earth Summit set in motion some of the most important environmental policies that have profoundly impacted how we live within society today – both in the UK and globally. For example did you know that local sustainable action, such as the local council picking up your recycling every week, owes its very existence to the first Rio Earth Summit? So 20 years on, what is on the agenda for Rio+20?
The Rio+20 has three main objectives :
- To assess progress on sustainable development since the Rio Earth Summit.
- To reaffirm political commitment to it.
- To address issues related to the future health of our planet.
But it’s going to be a tough challenge to track our progress over the last two decades, given that globally we are now using about 25% more natural resources than the planet can replace (and in the UK we are consuming three times our fair share of the planet’s natural resources!).
What are we hoping to achieve at Rio+20?
Renewed political commitment is essential in order to address the environmental, economic and societal aspects of sustainable development – ultimately to make the world’s economies greener. A big challenge will be to not value economic growth above all else, despite our current financial hardship, and to acknowledge all three aspects of sustainable development.
Strong political leadership will be also essential in addressing the planet’s critical issues, particularly those concerned with ending water, food and energy poverty. But most of all the Rio +20 conference provides an opportunity for the world to come together, to share ideas that can change the way we live for the better and to leave an inspiring legacy of One Planet Living for future generations.
Every year at Earth Hour 1.8 billion people show their commitment to changing the way we live – let’s take our message to the world at Rio+20. Our world is brilliant, help keep it that way.
Read our Rio+20 blogs.
For more information visit the Rio+20 website.
Rio 1992 Earth Summit - Key Facts
The 1992 Earth Summit ultimately led to the introduction of key policies for ongoing action on sustainability and environmental protection – here are some of the main outcomes:
- The Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, which created a set of 27 principles to guide sustainable development globally.
- Agenda 21, which set the agenda for environmental protection from 1992 onwards – a comprehensive blueprint of action to be taken globally, nationally and locally by major groups in every area in which humans directly affect the environment.
- The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) tasked with finding a global solution to the threat of man-made climate change.
- The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) to combat the decrease of biodiversity globally. For the first time in international law it was recognised that the conservation of biological diversity is “a common concern of humankind” and is an integral part of the development process
- The Convention to Combat Desertification (CCD) to tackle desertification and mitigate the effects of drought through engaging local communities to better manage environmental sustainability.
