outreach informal 2 day 9

Over the past 4 months, in the heart of London, the Natural History Museum, British Council and Stakeholder Forum have hosted a series of debates to build momentum and drive dialogue in the run-up to Rio+20, writes Georgie Macdonald, Stakeholder Forum. Last week saw the closing event, bringing together conclusions from the series.. More

We all share the responsibility in reducing our consumption and preserving our environment, but leadership by governments and business is urgently required, especially in the run-up to Rio+20. This was the overwhelming message communicated by the guests at the Closing Earth Debates Dinner last Thursday (26th April)… More

Rio+20 provides a historic global opportunity to create a more sustainable future. We urgently need to address the sustainability of our capital markets. This is why, in September last year, Aviva Investors convened the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Coalition, writes Steve Waygood, Aviva Investors… More

International Insights on the Green Economy

The following four articles are written by the British Council’s Green Ambassadors who took part in the Closing Earth Debate Dinner, details of which are on page 2. In order to inject international perspectives into the Earth Debates, British Council invited forty delegates from countries around the world, to take part in an all day workshop on Rio+20 and the Earth Debate. Participants discussed the topics covered in the Earth Debates series – adding experiences from their countries – and prepared short statements, which they presented to their tables at the dinner in the evening… More

Feeding the Future: sustainable solutions for food security

Organic and other agro-ecological farming systems can help the world feed itself, but in addition to changing our farming systems, we need to eat differently, waste less food and change how we feed our livestock, writes Jim Kitchen Green Ambassador and Project Manager, Soil Association, Northern Ireland. These are the main conclusions from a recent Soil Association report, Feeding the Future… More

Over-harvesting of trees and degradation of tropical forest land has been associated with 20% of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions – the principal cause of observed climate change impacts in the world, including erratic rainfalls, desertification, floods, and disease outbreaks among others, writes Noel N Mbaru, Kenya…  More

In 2010, 84% of Brazilians lived in cities. More than 50% of the Earth’s human population share space, systems, resources and rules – in cities, writes Laura Valente de Macedo Sustainability Policies and Management Consultant, Brazil. Consequently, encouraging the debate about this complex ‘human ecosystem’ is essential… More

The implementation of the valuation of ecosystem services (VES) into policymaking represents a great opportunity to create a better, more equal and greener society. Given the vast and often unrecognised reliance of humans on biodiversity and ecosystems, it is crucial to appreciate the value they bring to people and the economy, writes Tomas Badura, IEEP… More

Tsunamis sweeping across the deep seas
Hurricanes howling with deafening breeze
Earthquakes shaking our tectonic plates
Volcanoes erupting ‘round Earth as it breaks… More

Rio+YOU and MyCity+20 are enablers: they inspire and inform, and get people hooked on this crazy idea that you don’t need permission from anybody to start changing the world, and make it more sustainable, writes Nicolò Wojewoda, Road to Rio+20. But they’re just the beginning, the first step in what is a locally-based, globally-coordinated, and action-oriented long-term effort… More

On 26 April, the Royal Society published its ‘People and the planet’ report, the result of a 21 month study, conducted by 23 experts from around the world, including representatives from China, Brazil, India, Malawi and Ethiopia writes Marie Rumsby, Royal Society. The report focuses on the critical links between population, consumption and the environment, and what they mean for sustainable development efforts… More

‘We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children’ goes a Native American Proverb. As world leaders meet to make decisions on our future at Rio+20, they must consider that youth have the most important voice, as the inheritors of the impacts of their decisions, writes Willice Okoth Onyango National Chairperson, The International Youth Council Kenya Chapter and Co-founder-Kenya Youth Network for Rio+20 and Beyond… More

The notion of intergenerational equity springs from the idea that it is unfair for the current generation to limit the choices of future generations by destroying natural resources, and it appears throughout international environmental law, writes Mary Turnipseed, University of California. Since the 1972 Stockholm Declaration, international environmental instruments have repeatedly invoked the need to protect the interests of future generations. .. More

Rio+20 is just another conference, writes Charlie Young, New Economics Foundation To the detriment of 2011, 2012 is meant to be the year the world wakes up from its dopamine stupor and the tide turns. This year, we are led to expect, will deliver a ‘sea-change’ in our relationship with the planet… More

Only One Earth, the new book by Felix Dodds and Michael Strauss with Maurice Strong, will be released on 1st June 2012… More

Nearly 100 sustainable business leaders crowded into the 10th floor of the UN Church Center on May 1st, to join a conversation with Chantal Line Carpentier, Sustainable Development Officer and Major Groups Program Coordinator of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, and other UN representatives writes Martha Shaw, Earth Advertising – 360º media… More

This June, world leaders, government officials, the private sector and NGOs will gather in Rio de Janeiro for Rio+20. This conference will provide world leaders and decision makers a platform to discuss urgent issues facing the world including social equity, poverty and environmental protection writes Krushil Patel, Zoological Society of London. In the build up to, and during, Rio+20, many initiatives and projects are being undertaken to involve the participation of people from around the world… More

“Only six more days of negotiations…are we ever going to finish?” Concerns were heard everywhere today as the negotiations this week have drastically slowed down, largely due to the Co-Chair’s real-time presentations of new text proposals and attempts to come to agreements on the most critical issues for Member States writes Naomi Kumazawa, MGCY/Environmental Partnership Council… More

Quote of the day

Some have dreams of Rio that reach far into the future. I have a very concrete dream. It is just around the corner: ready to happen – just waiting for some bold Rio negotiators to make it happen. What is that dream? That one year after Rio, all large companies of the world – almost a hundred thousand – will be measuring their impact on sustainable development; and share that knowledge through sustainability reporting.

Teresa Fogelberg, Deputy Chief Executive, GRI

Outreach is a multi-stakeholder magazine which is published daily at Rio+20 Intersessional and Preparatory Meetings. The articles written are intended to reflect those of the authors alone or where indicated a coalition’s opinion. An individual’s article is the opinion of that author alone, and does not reflect the opinions of all stakeholders.

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