Green Economy as Platitude

Twenty years after the first Earth Summit in 1992, the United Nations once again brought together countries, international groups and NGOs for the R+20 Conference in Brazil to set new goals on sustainable development. The spirit of the first summit has gone missing, suggests Shyam Saran, former Indian foreign secretary, in a column for the Indian Express. Countries recognize that resources are limited, and “these multilateral negotiations are more about competitive economic interests rather than about preservation of the so-called global commons,” Saran reminds. Developing economies made some headway in pointing out the problems with equal burden sharing among all economies, industrialized or emerging. A green economy, sustainable development, poverty eradication and institutional frameworks are inextricably linked – supported by good jobs, energy, food security, clean water and disaster readiness – suggests the R +20 UN Conference on Sustainable Development. Saran urges, developing countries to “pursue ecologically sustainable growth strategies because this is in their own interest, but… not shy away from exposing the double standards we witness in the postures adopted by some major industrialised countries.” – YaleGlobal