Tracking progress since 1992

Although the outcomes of the 1992 Rio Conference have been the basis for many activities aiming towards more sustainable development, these activities have not been able to bend the trend in some critical areas.

Our analysis presents three alternative pathways, consisting of different combinations of technological measures and consumption changes that would be successful for achieving a set of long-term sustainable development goals. However, these pathways also encounter particular problems, such as the environmental impacts of intensive agriculture or the difficulty of influencing consumption patterns. These pathways need to be supported by changes in governance structures, something that has proven hard to achieve. Although not all combinations are possible, combining elements of the pathways could make the response strategy more robust and do justice to the pluriformity within society, as different elements would appeal to different actors.

Bo Kjellen (Senior Research Fellow, Stockholm Environment Institute), reflects on the history of environmental diplomacy.

Roads from Rio+20: Bo Kjellen.