In the face of criticism from environmental activists, the world’s governments signed off on a so-called ‘pathway for a sustainable century’ at the close of the Rio+20 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro on 22 June. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said the outcome document, entitled The Future We Want, would guide the world but admitted that “the road ahead is long and hard”.
Greenpeace International’s executive director, Kumi Naidoo, said: “We didn’t get the future we want in Rio because we do not have the leaders we need. The leaders of the most powerful countries supported business as usual, shamefully putting private profit before people and the planet.” Probably the greatest single source of disappointment was the failure of governments to make a political commitment to protect the world’s oceans.
Achim Steiner, executive director of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), said that the meeting offered some hope, although many stakeholders wanted it to accomplish more. “If nations, companies, cities and communities can move forward on the positive elements of the summit’s outcome, it may assist in one day realising the future we want.”
Countries agreed that they must start going beyond GDP indicators to measure success, and use tools that take into account environmental, social and governance issues. Further negotiations will be needed to come up with hard and fast Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Countries also agreed changes to the way the UNEP works, but stopped short of creating a new environment agency.
Canadian Environment Minister Peter Kent said the summit reached a balanced outcome and that the final agreement was “solid”, allowing countries to renew existing goals first established in 1992 while advancing efforts to ensure sustainable development with new proposals.
Some 10,000 government officials at the talks were outnumbered by around 40,000 environmentalists. Approximately 1,500 companies were also in evidence. Conference secretary-general Zha Zukang claimed that companies had pledged about $500 billion to fund various UN agendas. “Companies are here because they see opportunities,” said Chad Holliday, chairman of the Bank of America, who also co-chairs the UN’s Sustainable Energy for All initiative.
About 200 chief executives attended a conference on ‘Business Action for Sustainable Development’. The president of the World Business Council for Sustainable Business, Peter Bakker, announced the imminent launch of a new project to help create a common methodology for companies to integrate impacts on ecosystems and biodiversity into their regular accounting systems.
Regional development banks outlined plans to coordinate public and private investment into greener transport systems in developing countries, including railways, buses and fuel-efficient vehicles.
