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Green expectations
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| The Indian Express , Tuesday, June 19, 2012 |
| Correspondent
: R.K. Pachauri |
| This week the United Nations is holding the Conference on Sustainable Development, hosted by the government of Brazil. It was 40 years ago that the UN Conference on the Human Environment was held in Stockholm, in which only two prime ministers, Indira Gandhi from India and Olof Palme from Sweden, participated. In 1992, 20 years later, the UN Conference on Environment and Development was held with much fanfare and amidst high expectations. That summit reached a significant agreement, giving birth to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), and the Convention on Biological Diversity was opened for signatures to signal a major redefinition of measures that would not encourage destruction of natural eco-regions and so-called uneconomic growth. Rio 1992 attracted 172 governments. Civil society also had a major presence on the occasion with an estimated 2,400 representatives of NGOs. For the first time, perhaps, a major international event also focused on local bodies, with several cities being recognised for their achievements in integrating environmental concerns with development.
Rio 2012 certainly has more modest goals and perhaps a lower level of expectations than Rio 1992. Among the subjects likely to get focused attention in Rio 2012 is the concept and practice of creating green economies across the globe. The secretary-general of the UN, Ban Ki-moon, has also emphasised the attainment of sustainable energy for all. This consists of three elements — universal access to modern energy services, doubling the global rate of improvement in energy efficiency and doubling the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix by 2030.
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| SOURCE
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http://www.indianexpress.com/news/green-expectations/963583 |
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