A global movement for change

Next week, world leaders gather for a momentous occasion - the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development in Rio de Janeiro. Will it be a success? In my opinion, yes.

To be sure, the negotiations have been lengthy. Even now there is more disagreement than agreement on the details of the so-called outcome document that will emerge. Yet that will not be the defining measure. Far more important is what the Rio conference has already accomplished. And that is to build a global movement for change.

Rio+20 is a milestone on a long road. The famous 1992 Earth Summit put sustainable development on the global agenda. Today, we have come to a broader and more nuanced understanding of this age-old imperative: how to better balance the development needs of a growing world population - so that all may enjoy the fruits of prosperity and robust economic growth - with the necessity of conserving our planet's most precious resources: land, air and water.