Rio+20

Rio+20 is about to kick off.  It is a major environmental summit, organized under the direction of the United Nations.  It will gather leaders from around the world to adopt measures designed to (hopefully) produce a more sustainable and equitable use of the world’s resources.  It is called Rio+20 because it will mark the 20^th anniversary of the first such summit, which took place in Rio de Janeiro in 1992.  For more information about the conference, check out this link.  Apart from the meetings of the powerful, there is also a people’s summit going on in Parque do Flamengo, close to our apartment.

People here in Rio are excited about the summit.  The city has declared public holidays from Wednesday through Friday (20-22), the three most important days of the conference.  Heads of state from around the world will be in attendance, with the conspicuous absence of President Barack Obama.  Given the fact that the United States consumes a disproportionate amount of the world’s resources and is a leading contributor to environmental inequality and degradation, it seems important for our country’s government to demonstrate its commitment to solving these problems.  One conference won't solve all of the world's complex environmental issues. But, Obama’s presence at the summit would demonstrate that our government is at least taking them seriously.  You can write him an email and tell him so.

We’re going to try to check out some of the events going on this week and post more down the line.