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The Public is Clear: End Fossil Fuel Subsidies
19 Jun 2012
Negotiations here at Rio+20 appear to have come to a standstill. Member states can’t seem to agree to much of anything; the multilateral process, intended to promote ‘cooperation, compromise and dialogue’, has turned into a frantic scramble to produce ‘some’ nay ‘any’ kind of tangible outcome of the conference. So far, ‘compromise’ has meant the […]
New text is a green light for fossil fuels
19 Jun 2012
So the Brazilians pulled together a draft and shared it with at least some of the world on Saturday night (some delegates had not even received it on the Sunday). Like everyone else, ECO was scrambling to see what was in it, specifically for energy and climate. Oh the irony of climate and energy As […]
SDGs or MDGs the goal AND process is one and the same
16 Jun 2012
Governments came together in Rio to agree on basic principles and process forward for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). One of the foundations for the process is that it should not divert attention, funding or other resources from accelerating progress towards the current set of 2015 Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). This MDG process and the […]
How to Finance the Green Economy? End Polluter Handouts.
16 Jun 2012
It comes as little surprise that some of the biggest sticking points in this Rio+20 process concern on Means of Implementation. There have been numerous proposals for ambitious new goals, but what good are they if there is no new funding provided? Securing stable funds for development is always a challenge, but it seems particularly […]
Climate crisis – what crisis?
15 Jun 2012
Most of the world’s leaders will be here in Rio in a few short days to assess (non-)progress in sustainable development and to address the accumulating environmental and social challenges that threaten our well-being, security and even very survival. Oddly enough though, the one issue that world leaders have said is the most serious environmental […]
Where is the energy in Rio?
15 Jun 2012
After being energised by the magnificent rhythms and colours of Brazilian samba, ECO realised that there was something strangely missing from the official negotiation agenda: energy. Right now there are no public meetings on the energy paragraphs, and nothing is scheduled for the remainder of the conference. How can this be? Intelligent and ambitious approaches […]
Climate change and Sustainable Development: Clarifying linkages
14 Jun 2012
Achieving sustainable development entails making progress on the three integrated strands of the social, the environmental and the economic. Climate change and its impacts touch on all the three strands – causing environmental damage and degradation; increasing social vulnerability, and exacerbating economic instability. The Rio+20 Conference gives us a chance to address two key issues […]
Rio+20: The Young Can’t Wait
13 Jun 2012
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/william-s-becker/rio20-the-young-cant-wait_b_1587775.html?utm_hp_ref=world&ir=World by William S. Becker It was 20 years ago this month that Severn Suzuki, then 12, gave the speech of her life. As she stood on the podium at the first Earth Summit, Severn's admonition to dignitaries from 178 nations also became the speech of her generation. The topic was sustainable development. The place was […]
Speak Up for Children at the Rio+20 Earth Summit
10 Jun 2012
http://blogs.unicef.org.uk/authentic_voices/archive/2012/06/08/speak-up-for-children-at-the-rio-20-earth-summit.aspx by Rachel Hall Like many young people, I take the things most politicians say with a large pinch of salt. But I was genuine impressed by Caroline Spelman, the secretary of state for environment, when I met her on Thursday. I believed her when she pledged to speak for children at the Rio+20 Earth summit this month.
Global environment conference: Youth to represent Pakistan at Rio+20
7 Jun 2012
http://tribune.com.pk/story/389367/global-environment-conference-youth-to-represent-pakistan-at-rio20/ At a press briefing to mark the World Environment Day at Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) here on Monday, SDPI Executive Director Dr Abid Qaiyum Suleri said that Ali is an excellent combination of perseverance and intelligence and will effectively represent the interests, priorities and concerns of Pakistani youth as well as highlight a […]