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IT WAS compared to an empty shell, labelled a disappointment and bemoaned for its lack of leadership. As New 杏吧原创 went to press, the Rio+20 Earth Summit was gearing up for its high-level segment in Brazil. Twenty years after the original summit was held in the same city, prospects are not looking promising.
In 1992, developing countries agreed commitments on protecting biodiversity and forests in return for promises of a 鈥済reen fund鈥� of development aid. They got about $5 billion. This time, the Brazilian hosts called for a $30 billion 鈥済lobal fund for sustainable development鈥�, and for the rich world to set aside its short-term economic concerns and cough up. 鈥淲e cannot be held hostage to financial crisis in rich countries,鈥� said Luiz Alberto Figueiredo, environment director at Brazil鈥檚 Ministry of External Affairs.
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At the Rio+20 summit, the main theme was 鈥済reen economics鈥�. At fringe meetings held last weekend and earlier this week across the city, economists and natural scientists held detailed discussions on how to put a dollar figure on the loss of natural capital like forests, minerals, water and fisheries, and to integrate these new measures into national and corporate accounting systems.
They are convinced that if governments and businesses included such measures in their accounting, alongside other indicators of sustainability, leaders would take better care of the environment.