Rio+20

Ban urges progress in Rio+20 negotiations, names post-2015 High-level Panel co-chairs - Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today urged countries to make progress in their negotiations of the outcome document for the United Nations Sustainable Development Conference (Rio+20) next month. (UN News Centre)

Analysis: Political shift will make or break Rio+20 summit - The shifting sands of geopolitics, marked by rapid growth of big, emerging economies such as Brazil and China while traditionally rich countries fall behind, could undermine progress to define sustainable development goals at a United Nations conference next month. (Valerie Volcovici and Nina Chestney, Reuters)

Rio+20: Stockholm Conference Issues Call for Action - In the run-up to the Rio+20 summit June 20-22 in Brazil, an international conference in Stockholm has agreed on a set of 13 recommendations for governments, businesses, organizations and individuals to promote and contribute to sustainable development. (R. Nastranis, The International News Magazine)

Renewable energy

International Geothermal Energy Sector Prepares For DC Gathering- Geothermal energy has struggled to grow in recent years but remains an area of distinct potential in a world where much of the growth in baseload power demand remains distant from the fuel that could generate that needed energy. (Peter Gardett, AOL Energy)

Saudi Arabia Aims For 41 GW Solar Power By 2032 - Saudi Arabia and renewable energy probably doesn't roll off your tongue right now. (Mat McDermott, Treehugger)

U.S., India glimpse a bright future together in solar power - There are few places in the world where the opportunity for solar power is more blindingly obvious than India. (Simon Denyer, The Washington Post)

Energy access

UN's Action Agenda drives progress on energy access for all - The UN's launch of its Global Action Agenda will implement the Sustainable Energy for All initiative and marks an important step toward putting ideas into action, according to the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD). (The Guardian)

Energy Access Entrepreneurs Seek $500 Million from World Bank at Rio +20 - Twenty of the world’s leading off-grid clean energy entrepreneurs sent a letter today to World Bank Group president Robert Zoellick requesting $500 million in financial commitments to help them deliver on the world’s energy access goals. (Sierra Club Compass)

SIDS High-Level Conference on SE4ALL Adopts Barbados Declaration - On the second day of the SIDS High-Level Conference on Sustainable Development for All (SE4ALL), which convened in Bridgetown, Barbados, from 7-8 May 2012, delegates from the three SIDS regions – the Pacific, Caribbean and Atlantic, Indian Ocean, Mediterranean, and South China Sea (AIMS) – unanimously adopted the Barbados Declaration, which will be taken to the Rio+20 Conference in June. (IISD)

Energy efficiency

Asia-Pacific cannot afford to grow without addressing environmental concerns – UN - Countries in the Asia-Pacific region must find ways to continue to grow economically and lift millions out of poverty while also responding to climate change and environmental concerns, according to a United Nations report released today, which stresses that new methods of production are needed to meet this goal. (UN News Centre)

Sustainable energy policy

Africa: World Bank Urges Governments to Think Green for Inclusive Growth - The World Bank today released a report urging governments to think green when pursing growth policies, which can be inclusive, efficient, affordable and above all necessary to sustain economic expansion in years ahead. (All Africa)

Friends of the Earth takes clean energy access debate to Parliament - The United Nation's Sustainable Energy initiative accepts community involvement is crucial in providing clean, affordable energy for all. (Friends of the Earth)

Top scientists urge governments to solve environmental 'dilemmas' - The world's leading scientific institutions have urged governments to focus on three "global dilemmas": growing demands for water and energy, natural disasters and measuring carbon dioxide. (Fiona Harvey, The Guardian)

Rifkin Urges U.S. to Follow Europe’s ‘Revolution’ in Energy - The U.S. should follow Europe’s lead in boosting renewable energy as part of “the third industrial revolution,” according to Jeremy Rifkin, a Wharton Business School professor. (Sangim Han, Bloomberg