A group of 30 journalists that includes Fellows, editors, trainers and staff from 20 countries will report on the negotiations of the UN Conference on Sustainable Development, also known as the Rio+20 Summit, taking place in Brazil in June, 2012. Over 10 days, the journalists will participate in capacity-building activities focused on the main themes of the international meeting, have contact with sources of government, civil society and multilateral organizations, and provide locally relevant reporting to audiences back home.
Pale shade for the green economy
Joydeep Gupta - 21-Jun-2012
“Green economy” has been the buzz-phrase in national and international development circles for quite a few years now. It has almost as many definitions as there are economists. But most agree the concept adds two important elements to the way the economy is traditionally viewed: one, it seeks to include the use of air, water, soil, minerals and other natural resources in the calculation of national budgets. And two, it seeks to add the notion of equity to the notion of efficiency, the bedrock...
Cisternas de placa no Complexo do Alemão
Maristela Crispim - 21-Jun-2012
"Liberdade". Com essa palavra a cisterneira Lindinalva Martins, de Mossoró (RN), resume o que mudou na vida da sua família e de cem outras que agora têm uma cisterna a garantir água de qualidade para necessidades básicas e, em alguns casos, para ajudar na segurança alimentar e geração de renda, por suas mãos. A mais recente delas ficou pronta ontem e fica na comunidade Sérgio Silva, bairro Engenho da Rainha, no Complexo do Alemão, situado na Serra da Misericórdia, que abrange cerca de 43,9 km2...
At Rio, a new contract for science?
Joydeep Gupta - 21-Jun-2012
Ensuring a sustainable future in the face of inter-connected, human-induced challenges to the Earth system demands a new relationship between science and society. This was the message from leading scientists gathered in Rio de Janeiro last week for the Forum on Science, Technology and Innovation for Sustainable Development, a five-day session held ahead of the main event, the UN-led sustainability conference known as Rio+20. “Our way of development is undermining the resilience of our planet,”...
Em meio a críticas, só Brasil confia em sucesso da Rio+20
Lara Corrêa Ely - 21-Jun-2012
While world leaders expressed pessimism about the final conference document, Dilma demanded the fulfillment of promises made in the ECO-92 Com mais de 3 mil eventos paralelos e 50 mil participantes, a Rio+20 foi anunciada pela presidente Dilma Rousseff como a maior conferência sobre meio ambiente já ocorrida até o momento. A dimensão do evento, porém, não foi suficiente até agora para dar respostas em relação ao futuro comum da humanidade.A ausência de lideranças mundiais como o...
Beautiful hats, and a shanty town: a portrait of Nigeria in Rio
Armsfree Ajanaku - 21-Jun-2012
By Armsfree Ajanaku Once described in a 2007 global survey as the happiest people in the world, Nigerians very well understand how to get on with life, no matter how sordid the realities on the ground are. Here at the Earth Summit, known as Rio+20, they have been making their presence conspicuously felt with specially made Rio+20 hats. The hats bear the country’s coat of arms, and its national colours of green and white. The beautiful hats, and the rave reviews they have generated...
The French Cancan
Ketki Angre - 21-Jun-2012
So, there we were, waiting for the French President to address the media. Big deal, you may think, at a summit where there are over a hundred heads of state, how does it matter if the French President is coming? But it was a big deal of sorts, since very few heads of state actually choose to come and interact with the press, many prefer to use the electronic interface of the webcast: so even though they are sitting in a big hall not too far away, we cannot ask them questions. (smart...
Harvesting raindrops
Ketki Angre - 21-Jun-2012
Can 1 mm of rain on the roof help wash away the water problems of a community? If the Rio example is anything to go by, it certainly looks like a promising proposition. Ketki Angre reports. Their math says: 1mm of rain per square metre = 1 litre saved. Under the aegis of the Brazil Government's project called 'Brazil without misery', the 'Water for Everyone' project works at two levels. It provides water to communities that do not have access to municipal supply and makes...
Has global downturn hit the Rio summit?
Ketki Angre - 21-Jun-2012
Twenty years after the Earth Summit was held in Rio de Janeiro, the beach destination is witnessing a different type of carnival this time around, reports Ketki Angre. Over 130 countries, more than a hundred heads of State, 50,000 participants: the numbers look good on paper. But has the punch been taken out of the carnival? Greek elections have thrown a vote in favour of staying in the European Union. Italy, Portugal have seen street protests against austerity measures. And...
Um Rio de incertezas
Lara Corrêa Ely - 20-Jun-2012
Enquanto Brasil celebra vitória diplomática, documento final da Rio+20 deixa a desejar em pontos como a ausência de fundo de US$ 30 bilhões para financiar o desenvolvimento sustentávelMeia madrugada e uma manhã inteira de exaustivas discussões resultaram ontem no documento final da Rio+20, a conferência da Organização das Nações Unidas (ONU) para desenvolvimento sustentável.Mas nos largos corredores do Riocentro, palco a partir de hoje da cúpula de chefes de Estado, circulavam visões...
Diplomacy beats sustainability at Rio+20
Joydeep Gupta - 20-Jun-2012
Over 100 heads of state and government will most probably sign later this week an agreement that was supposed to take the world on a more sustainable and equitable development path, but which is now so full of compromises that it is mostly meaningless. The “political resolution” of the UN Conference on Sustainable Development, better known as Rio+20, is full of generalities, while almost all specific action points have been thrown out. The resolution went through protracted negotiations for...
Rio+20 reaches its expectations
Carlos Corominas - 19-Jun-2012
Carlos Corominas, EFE No habrá una Organización Mundial del MedioAmbiente, ni se crearán mecanismos para implementar las medidas hacia una economía verde. El modo en que se conseguirá la financiación queda difuminada en un conjunto de ideas que pasan desde fondos propios, ayudas institucionales, donaciones de los países y aporte privado. La creación de reservas marinas en aguas internacionales, que se preveía como el único resquicio para salvar la cumbre, tampoco se ha...
Bachelet: "If women do not participate, sustainable development will not be possible"
Carlos Corominas - 19-Jun-2012
La participación de las mujeres en la vida social y económica es crucial para alcanzar un desarrollo sostenible. Esta es la conclusión que se extrae de la rueda de prensa ofrecida por Michele Bachelet y Gro Harlem Brundtland en representación de UN Women, organización de la ONU que promueve acciones en pro de la igualdad de género. En su intervención Bachelet ha destacado el papel de las mujeres en cuanto a la gestión de recursos como el agua y la agricultura. “Para que haya...
Protecting A Natural Monument from A City's Waste
Isyana Artharini - 19-Jun-2012
Ilhas Cagarras -- the Cagarras Islands -- are one of the symbols of Rio de Janeiro. Designated as a 'natural monument', they form a protected area consisting of six islands and three coral reefs. The islands, natural habitat for two species of birds, frigates and brown boobies, are threatened by pollution and water waste from the city of Rio de Janeiro. The islands are also vulnerable from oil residue from the big vessels entering the nearby port. The damage to the Cagarras Islands is not...
How China Mapped Its Water Pollution
Isyana Artharini - 19-Jun-2012
By Isyana Artharini -- Yahoo News, Indonesia Countries are often reluctant to be transparent to its people in revealing pollution data. This is the story of how the head of Chinese Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs, Ma Jun, is making water pollution data available through the use of digital mapping. Using this map, for the first time, Chinese citizens have the ability to know whether river or water sources in 300 cities in 31 provinces in China are polluted, who the polluters...
The Caatinga Principles are presented at Rio+20
Maristela Crispim - 19-Jun-2012
Maristela Crispim,Diário do Nordeste Local environmental leaders from the Northeast part of Brazil met during the Rio+20 to ask for more attention to one of the most endangered ecosystems in the country, the Caatinga. Mais importante do que a capacidade de mudar o texto da Rio + 20 é o estímulo às reflexões sobre as questões locais. Daí, os gestores estaduais de meio ambiente do Nordeste constituíram um fórum, no sentido do fortalecimento da governança nas políticas voltadas ao...
People's Summit features innovative environmental initiatives
Lara Corrêa Ely - 19-Jun-2012
Lara Ely, Zero Hora If Rio+20 debates and official meetings do not result on new targets or actions by governments, the meeting at least will have been valid for those who went to the side events. In the Peoples' Summit, examples such as Ecobike or tanks on the German Hill give evidence that, with creativity and entrepreneurship, civil society and private enterprise can be as active as governments. Aliar esforço físico e redução de gastos. Isso é o que...
Rio+20: A Momentum for Resource Economics
Peter Bjerregaard - 19-Jun-2012
By Peter Bjerregaard Growth. Even before the concept is defined, we know what’s on the agenda. It’s not about plant growth, hair growth or growth in quality of life, it’s about economic growth. And the kind that is measured in GDP. However, Rio+20 might mark a paradigm shift in the way we measure growth and wealth. The summit in Rio de Janeiro marks the 20-year anniversary for the first Earth Summit on sustainable development. Back then the summit attracted unprecedented media...
Rio+20: UN Conference on Sustainable Development gears up
Ken Weiss - 19-Jun-2012
By Kenneth R. Weiss, Los Angeles Times 5:00 AM PDT, June 19, 2012 RIO DE JANEIRO — The United Nations on Monday prepared to launch its biggest conference in history, as delegates from around the world worked on a plan to help lift billions of people out of poverty without exhausting the planet. More than 115 presidents, prime ministers and other officials are to attend the U.N. Conference on Sustainable Development, which officially begins Wednesday and has drawn at...
Ciudades se comprometen a reducir gases de efecto invernadero
Lucas Viano - 19-Jun-2012
Las 58 ciudades más importantes del planeta (incluida Buenos Aires) firmarán entre hoy y mañana (martes y miércoles) un acuerdo en Río de Janeiro que prevé la implementación de más de 4.500 iniciativas para reducir la emisión de gases de efecto invernadero. El conjunto de estas metrópolis concentra el 21 por ciento de PBI mundial, 320 millones de personas y son responsables de la emisión del 12 por ciento de los gases de efecto invernadero. Entre las ciudades están Shangai, Beijing, Moscú...
