environment. Building a sustainable future for the planet, say those involved, means addressing all three simultane- ously. It demands the kind of real, im- mediate action so evident at Rio+20.


Real Results


By the end of the Rio conference, more than 700 voluntarily secured commit- ments, valued at more than half a trillion dollars, were earmarked to address ev- erything from protecting forests and re- ducing ocean pollution to building rapid transit bus systems and increasing the number of women entrepreneurs in the green economy. The NRDC launched CloudOfCommitments.org to track and publicize new pledges and make them easily searchable by region or category. Some commitments are breathtak-


Future We Want “W


Shaping the


Global Commitments to Catalyze Change by Brita Belli


e don’t need another plan of action or more treaties; what we need are people that will begin to implement the commitments and meet the goals that have already been created and established,” explains


Jacob Scherr, director of global strategy and advocacy for the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), about the new thinking that drove this year’s Earth Sum- mit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The June conference brought together international heads of state, business leaders, nonprofits and activists to prioritize and strategize sustainable develop- ment. Unlike the United Nations’ annual climate change conferences, which led to the Kyoto Protocol in 1997—a legally binding treaty that set targets for green- house gas emissions the United States refused to sign—the United Nations Con- ference on Sustainable Development is held once every 20 years. The theme of Rio+20 was simple and direct: The Future We Want. Moving away from political posturing and endless negotiating, the meet-up asked businesses, governments and charities to publicly declare their specific commitments and solicited the public’s ideas for realizing sustainability, all aligned with the priorities and opportunities of the 21st century. “With growing popula- tions depleting resources, how do we keep increasing and ensuring prosperity while we are already using more than we have?” queries U.N. spokeswoman Pragati Pascale. “It’s a conundrum.” Sustainable development, as defined by the U.N., includes fighting poverty, social inclusion (including advancing the status of women) and protecting the


ing in scope: n International development banks have pledged $175 billion to boost sustainable transportation in devel- oping countries;


n Bank of America promised $50 bil- lion over 10 years to finance energy efficiency, renewable energy sources and energy access;


n The World Bank committed $16 billion to boost clean energy, access to electricity and cookstoves in developing nations;


n The New Partnership for Africa’s Development promised to achieve energy access for at least 60 percent of Africa’s population by 2040;


n The European Bank offered $8 billion by 2015 to support energy efficiency projects in Eastern Europe and Central Asia;


n Microsoft pledged to be carbon neu- tral across all its operations by the end of 2013;


n The United States together with the Consumer Goods Forum (which represents more than 600 retail and manufacturing companies) commit- ted to achieve zero net deforestation in their supply chains by 2020. “The real action, the real en-


ergy, was the 21st-century aspect [of Rio+20],” advises Scherr. “I call it the ‘network world’, recognizing the number of players today. It’s not just national governments; it’s states and cities, corporations and philanthropists. In addition to the official meetings and


natural awakenings October 2012 15


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