07) SETBACK AT RIO+20

People's Voice Editorial

     Hopes for tangible progress on the looming global environmental crisis were dashed by the miserably inadequate results of the United Nations Rio+20 conference. Despite its brave title, "The Future We Want", little of substance is in this document adopted by world leaders in Rio de Janeiro.

     In the streets outside, 20,000 people marched for climate justice, capping a People's Summit which debated real solutions. The People's Summit was focused on genuine "green energy" approaches to tackle the environmental crisis on the basis of equity, such as providing access to power for 1.6 billion people who have none, and creating millions of decent "green" jobs instead of bailing out banks and subsidizing the fossil fuel industry.

     Predictably, these proposals were ignored by Canada's Harper Conservatives, who are one of the most anti-science ruling parties on the planet, the King Canutes of the 21st century. The official summit saw most capitalist countries stubbornly refuse to address the sources of catastrophic climate change. Instead of binding commitments to slash greenhouse gas emissions, "The Future We Want" is full of pompous rhetoric and vague promises.

     In his opening speech, UN General Secretary Ban Ki‑Moon warned that the world must follow up on Rio+20 with "commitment and action." As Greenpeace International responded later, "People must take note of the failure in Rio, they need to join together in defence of the planet and for the future our children need. Unless we build a movement in the present like no other the world has ever seen, The Future We Want will remain a tented dream."

     The clock keeps ticking. Instead of more "greenwashed capitalism," the planet needs policies to put people and the environment first, starting with an end to fossil fuel subsidies and imperialist wars.

(The above article is from the July 1-31, 2012, issue of People's Voice, Canada's leading communist newspaper. Articles can be reprinted free if the source is credited. Subscription rates in Canada: $30/year, or $15 low income rate; for U.S. readers - $45 US per year; other overseas readers - $45 US or $50 CDN per year. Send to People's Voice, c/o PV Business Manager, 706 Clark Drive, Vancouver, BC, V5L 3J1.)