Rio+20

For the Future of Our Planet, a Dialogue Between Generations - The month of June is upon us and as Rio+20, the UN Conference on Sustainable Development, draws nearer, I find myself reflecting on the many great changes the past 20 years have brought, since that first Earth Summit, also in Rio, when the world met to announce a vision for its collective future. (Desmond Tutu, The Huffington Post)

Africa: The People of the World Confront the Advance of Capitalism: Rio +20 and Beyond - Governments from all over the world will meet in Río de Janeiro, Brasil, from June 20-22 2012, to supposedly commemorate 20 years since the "Earth Summit", the United Nations Conference on the Environment and Development, that established for the first time a global agenda for "sustainable development". (AllAfrica.com)

Earth Summit: Can Rio +20 solve world's environmental problems? - Rio +20, a major international environmental conference held in Brazil this month, is being billed by its organizers as a "once in a lifetime" opportunity to safeguard our planet for generations to come. (Barry Neild, CNN)

20 years after Rio 1992: company initiatives do make a difference - The 2012 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development in Rio de Janeiro is an opportunity to further intensify international dialogue on the future of our planet. (The Guardian)

Cameroon: UN Unveils Rio+20 Stakes, Challenges - Ahead of the United Nations conference on sustainable development code-named, "Rio + 20" billed for June 20 - 22 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the UN System in Cameroon has made public the stakes and challenges of the conference on which Africa and Cameroon in particular could base their arguments. (Godlove, Bainkong, AllAfrica.com)

UAE to play major role at Rio+20 - The UAE will have a strong presence at the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20), said Assistant to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Special Envoy for Energy and Climate Change, Dr. Sultan Al Jaber on Thursday at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. (Khaleej Times)

Rio + 20 And Thereafter — Is Ghana Prepared? - The global community is due back in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where the United Nations (UN) Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD), also known as Rio 2012 or Rio + 20, is scheduled to take place from the 20th to the 22nd of June 2012. (G. D. Zaney, Government of Ghana)

Energy efficiency

Israeli technology turns greenhouse gas into fuel - A new Israeli solar technology is able to transform greenhouse gas emissions from the dirtiest of pollutants into a useable fuel for automobiles. (Sharon Udasin, The Jerusalem Post)

UN Calls for Aggressive Energy Efficiency Initiatives (Info-graphic) - The UN is calling on governments, businesses and civil society to double energy efficiency efforts, which could significantly reduce energy consumption, decrease greenhouse-gas emissions and save considerable sums of money. (Jared Anderson, AOL Energy)

Smart hand pumps promise cleaner water in Africa  - UK researchers have developed data transmitters that fit inside hand pumps and send text messages if the devices break down. (Matt McGrath, BBC News)

Renewable energy

Africa: First African Renewable Energy Confab in Accra - The first conference in Africa solely focused on off-grid renewable energy technologies will be held in Accra in October this year with a special look at applications in rural communities of developing countries. Off-grid technology is extremely important throughout Africa with many of the continents inhabitants without access to the grid. (Ayuureyisiya Kapini Atafori, AllAfrica.com)

Cobs and Stalks: India Looks at New Biofuels - As consumers struggle to cope with rising petrol prices, India is looking at a new generation of biofuels derived from agricultural waste to revive an ambitious program for blending ethanol with gasoline. (Biman Mukherji, The Wall Street Journal)

 Energy access

Deployment of renewable energy creates access and jobs in rural areas - It presents twelve original case studies from involving a variety of renewable energy technologies, including biogas, solar energy, small-scale hydropower and improved cookstoves. (REVE)

United Nations Foundation and Virgin Produced Take Social Good to New Heights - Social good reaches new heights - 35,000 feet - this month as the United Nations Foundation and Virgin Produced announced a new partnership. (San Francisco Chronicle)

Sustainable energy policy

Sustainable energy for all (SE4ALL) - The Sustainable Energy for All (SE4ALL) 4-day mission to Nepal ended with a hope to get different partners working together on energy sector in the country. (United Nations Development Program)

Canadian Solar and Horizon Energy Solutions Announce Canadian EPC Turnkey Solutions Agreement - Canadian Solar Inc. , one of the world's largest solar power companies, announced that its subsidiary, Canadian Solar Solutions Inc. and Horizon Energy Solutions Inc., have entered into an Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) agreement to construct commercial rooftop solar electricity generating facilities. (MarketWatch)