David R. Woollcombe, Peace Child International
If we learned one thing from our series of 30+ Rio+20 Youth Prepcoms in the course of 2011, it was that youth were angry that they had spent a lot of years in school – studying what their teachers told them to study – and the Rio+20 issues never came up. In 24 countries, students told us that our debates, cabarets, games, workshops were the first they’d heard of peak oil, the challenge of alternative energy, harmful subsidies, one-planet living etc. Many had been educated in so-called ‘good schools’ and ‘great universities’ – but none of this stuff had ever come up!
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Pam Puntenney, UN CSD Education Caucus
Recognising the number of global environmental challenges and security issues, there is a need to improve the knowledge base of all stakeholders, particularly decision-makers on the interplay of human and natural systems, with an understanding of new opportunities for investment, new technologies, and innovations, among others.
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M. K. Dorsey, Dartmouth College
The US President’s State of Union referenced energy policy 23 times and climate policy once. The White House still can, and must, lead the nation and the world on both climate change and energy policy. One place this can be done is on the road to the approaching Rio+20 Summit.
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Staffan Nilsson, European Economic and Social Committee
The zero draft, which summarises key issues forming the basis of the Rio+20 final agreement is a good starting point for subsequent negotiations. But it still falls far short of the hopes and ambitions of organised civil society in Europe, for what could and should be achieved by the Rio process. We look to the European institutions - the Council, the Commission and the Parliament - to be equally resolute in pressing the case for a stronger and more purposeful programme to be created at Rio, and to give our European negotiators a powerful mandate to settle for nothing less.
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Kirsty Schneeberger, Stakeholder Forum
There is nothing more powerful than an idea whose time has come. That idea is with us today. That time is now.
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Jacob Scherr, Global Strategy & Advocacy
It is the start of a new year and the time for making resolutions to change our ways. Yet we all know how hard it is to give up old habits. This reality was evidenced by the just released zero draft of the output document for the Rio+20 (Earth Summit).
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Emmanuel Prinet, Canadian Earth Summit Coalition
The Canadian Earth Summit Coalition put forward three high-leverage policies in its submission to the Compilation Document:
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Lisa Curtis, Youth Representative
When I was just beginning kindergarten, the leaders of the world came together in Rio de Janeiro for a groundbreaking Earth Summit that put the concept of sustainable development and biological diversity on the global political agenda.
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Why we need unprecedented levels of harnessing science through international cooperation.
Gisbert Glaser, International Council for Science (ICSU)
Over the past 20 years, development has moved us closer to the risk of transgressing the ‘planetary boundaries’ of our Earth system — from the climate, to biodiversity, to land use. Yet while facing these challenges we must further enhance efforts towards meeting present and future global needs, putting in place a green economy model, as well as securing greater social equity and human wellbeing.
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Jeannet Lingan, Stakeholder Forum
Trust and credibility have become a focal point for corporations today, especially during the wake of the financial crisis. A result of this is that there is now an array of corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives to help businesses adopt socially responsible and sustainable long-term strategies.
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 Name: Henrietta Elizabeth Thompson – usually called Liz
Nationality: Barbadian (born in UK but lived longer in Barbados)
Country of Residence: USA – New York
Current Position: UN Assistant Secretary General/Executive Coordinator Rio+20
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Teresa Fogelberg, GRI
This is one of the key questions to be discussed during the last phase of the preparatory process of the Rio+20 conference. The negotiations need to aim at a bold and innovative decision; one which will be vital to the success of the conference, and contribute to the future we want. To this end, the zero draft represents a good starting point, referencing the disclosure of sustainability information by businesses.
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Maruxa Cardama, nrg4SD
With the publication of the zero draft, many ingredients for the recipe of the much needed change of paradigm are now on in the kitchen. The question now is: will the international community get the dish right over the next months? Certainly the meal being prepared is not an ordinary one. Time is as limited as ever. And we are talking about the chance for world leaders to take realistic stock on the state of our societies and trace a courageous, realistic and results-oriented path to sustainable development (SD).
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Fatima Rodrigo, NGO Representative at the United Nations, International Presentation Association of the Sisters of the Presentation
Our world is experiencing rapidly growing inequality, with 80% of the world’s population sharing a mere 30% of the world’s wealth. According to the International Labour Organisation, the income of just 1% of the world’s population (the 61 million persons) is equal to that of 56% (3.3 billion persons).
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