As we come to the final day of three years of preparations and six months of intense intergovernmental negotiations has Rio+20 been a success or a failure? Oliver Greenfield, Convenor of the Green Economy Coalition, gives his reflections.
Against a background of continuing turmoil in the mainstream financial industry, leaders from the sustainable banking industry, academics and experts in the green economy, launched four policy recommendations to transform the financial system from a short to a long-term focus, today.
Building on our work over the last three years the Green Economy Coalition will be leading on three different initiatives at Rio+20, all of which relate to our five themes of change.
As part of our initiative Banking - as if the future matters we are interviewing leading figures across finance, business and civil society to find out their five top suggestions for reforming the finance sector.
With 29 years of experience in the investement world, Mark Fulton, Managing Director: Global Head of Climate Change Investment Research at Deutsche Bank, gives us his take on the drivers of financial short-termism and the practical solutions it would take to change behaviour.
The final outcome document from Rio+20 did not deliver all that we wanted but we had some triumphs:
1. Launching the high-level working group, convened by Prince Charles, on our theme Measure What Matters which aims to bring alignment between corporate, national and global metrics for progress. Check out his message below.
Want to find out more about what civil society organisations are doing around a green economy? Curious to see what activities and research are already underway? Wondering what messages will be carried to Rio from organisations North and South?
Come and join a live webinar, hosted by UNEP, to find out who is doing what on the green economy.
While political momentum on a green economy is now gathering pace there are still some important concerns regarding the meaning and consequences of a transition, particularly for the world's poorest. As governments begin to identify opportunities and policy frameworks at the national level it is critical that their decision-making processes are guided by a common set of goals, an agreed set of principles, for what a green economy must uphold.
Next week thousands of scientists, development practitioners, business leaders, policy-makers and media will meet for the Planet Under Pressure conference in London. This week-long meeting will provide a comprehensive update of the pressure that the planet is currently under and discuss the solutions to move societies towards a sustainable pathway.
GEC founding member, IIED, will be hosting a major international event in Rio over the weekend immediately before Rio+20, and would like to talk to organisations interested in being involved. It will take place 16 - 17 June, Pontifícia Universidade Católica (PUC), Rio de Janeiro.
