The United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD) in June 2012—commonly referred to as Rio+20—left many perplexed. If a number of advances were made, the results fell well short of what is needed to redirect the global economy onto a sustainable course.

The Earth Summit was a historical opportunity to set the world on the correct development trajectory. Negotiators from 191 countries came together to chart a road map for sustainable development and poverty eradication. The theme was green economy. But developed and developing countries refused to bury their differences. Developed countries were not ready to let go of their extravagant lifestyle, while developing countries were expected to take on green commitments. The countries could not even reach a consensus on the definition of green economy.

The significance of Rio+ 20 does not lie in any document but in the new direction provided to global governance, with Brazil, China and India shaping the global agenda.

NewDelhi:One-third of food produced globally every year does not reach human mouths – it is either lost in transit or wasted by consumers themselves.

At Rio+20, the developing world reclaimed lost ground, but nobody committed to credible action

Rio in 1992 is where a divisive world started coming together to save a planet crumbling under its own weight.

A lot of high-flown rhetoric ushered in last week's UN Conference on Sustainable Development. Rio+20 was the biggest summit the UN had ever organised.

Why India protested the green economy agenda proposed by developed countries at Rio+20

The recently concluded Rio+20 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development in Brazil has led to the inception of the Rio+20 India programme.

Rio de Janeiro: The Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, today again admonished the West for living the high life and not paying for it.

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