Rio+20: Earth Summit in 2012

How Rio+20 could help 'green' the global economy

January 27, 2011 - The main focus of media attention on recent United Nations deliberations on climate change has been the progress (or lack thereof) of an international consensus on a viable emissions reduction regime to replace the Kyoto Protocol after it expires in 2012.

More UN meetings are planned, but it is unlikely this issue will be resolved until at least the Earth Summit in 2012, also known as Rio+20, taking place 20 years after the inaugural landmark summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992.

But the Rio Summit will go far beyond the issue of emissions reduction. UN event planners are hoping it will lead to a political document to guide action on sustainable development policy for decades to come, and give birth to a new world environment organization.

It's in the area of transitioning to a "greener" economy that Rio+20 could generate the most lasting benefit. While the concept of the green economy is not well understood, variously interpreted research conducted by the Globe Foundation confirms that continued job growth, improved global competitiveness and energy security are the primary benefits of reorienting the economy toward the realities of a lower carbon future. {continued}