Skip to main content
Article
The Unfinished Story of the Rio Plus 20 Conference
Daily Environment Report (2012)
  • John C. Dernbach
Abstract

Reporting on the 2012 U.N. Conference on Sustainable Development (or Rio+20 conference) has generally followed two lines: the conference was essentially a failure because of its tepid official response to the enormous and related problems of global environmental degradation and global poverty; and the conference successfully managed to mobilize hundreds of voluntary commitments and at least $513 billion for specific sustainability goals. A third story line has received little attention, however, and may redeem the account of official failure. This article addresses that story line, reviewing a series of processes set in motion by the parties to the conference that in the next few years could substantially affect how sustainability is addressed globally.

Keywords
  • sustainable development,
  • sustainability,
  • national governance,
  • Acting as if Tomorrow Matters,
  • Rio+20,
  • Cloud of Commitments,
  • Sustainable Energy for All,
  • sustainability indicators,
  • United Nations,
  • U.N. General Assembly,
  • U.N. Environment Programme (UNEP),
  • Commission on Sustainable Development,
  • sustainable development goals,
  • sustainable production and consumption,
  • U.N. Conference on Sustainable Development,
  • Earth Summit
Publication Date
October 9, 2012
Citation Information
John C. Dernbach. "The Unfinished Story of the Rio Plus 20 Conference" Daily Environment Report Vol. 194 (2012)
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/john_dernbach/109/