A new TEEB -The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity- initiative for Water and Wetlands will be launched at the UN's Summit on Sustainable Development on 15 June in Rio, Brazil.

There is growing recognition among policy-makers and private sector decision-makers that the current model of economic growth is socially, environmentally and economically unsustainable.

The Institute for European Environmental Policy (IEEP) recently carried out an analysis of the extent to which the EU (and its then 15 Member States) fulfilled the solemn promises made to developing countries in the so-called 'Bonn Declaration' of 23 July 2001.

The success of responsible public policies to tackle climate change will depend on public support and the full involvement of civil society in both Europe and America, as well as in other parts of the world which contribute significantly to global