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)

Rio+20

Rio+20: Wanted Sustainable Energy for All - In Europe, when children need to study after dark, they switch on the lights. When we are sick, we go to a doctor’s office or hospital, where electricity powers the equipment. When we go to our offices and shops in the morning, we turn on the lights, computers, coffee makers and printers. (Andris Piebalgs and Kandeh Yumkella, IDN-InDepth NewsViewpoint)

Ahead of meeting, Ban urges public to vote on solutions to achieve ‘the future we want’ - Ahead of a major conference on sustainable development, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today called on people around the world to cast their votes in an online global poll on solutions to the planet’s most pressing social, economic and environmental challenges. (UN News Centre)

Young People Know What's at Stake at UN Rio Conference: Their Future - Some of these questions will be answered two weeks from now at the United Nation’s Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro. This gathering of heads of state, environmental leaders, corporate executives, and activists has the power to shape what kind of future we create. That’s why young people must make their voices heard in Rio. (Frances Beinecke, NRDC Switchboard)

Rio+20 must result in ‘concrete’ decisions to advance sustainable development – Ban - With just two weeks until the start of a major United Nations sustainable development conference, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today urged countries to step up efforts to achieve concrete decisions to reduce poverty while promoting decent jobs, clean energy and more sustainable and fair use of resources. (UN News Centre)

Rio+20 can inspire leaders, spur progress – World Bank - The upcoming Rio+20 meeting on the environment could inspire a new generation of leaders to take a greener, longer-term view of development, said World Bank Vice President Rachel Kyte in an online chat on World Environment Day. (Ghana Business News)

U.N. sounds environment alarm ahead of Rio summit - Population growth, urbanization and consumption are set to inflict irreversible damage on the planet, the United Nations said on Wednesday, and called for urgent agreement on new green targets to save the environment. (Reuters)

Energy access

Reconciling Sustainable Development and Climate Change - The international climate summit, COP17, in November/December 2011 and the upcoming sustainable development conference, Rio+20, from 20-22 June, highlight key national choices that will help determine the fate of the planet and its people. (Anna Azarch, All Africa)

Incentives Watch: Small Businesses Seek Access to Renewable Energy Incentives - As states offer more and more renewable energy tax incentives, small businesses are seeking to take advantage of the situation by getting into the renewable energy business. (Kathleen Caggiano, Bloomberg BNA)

Energy efficiency

Free Energy Efficiency Tools for World Environment Day - On World Environment Day, June 5, Johnson Controls, a global leader in delivering solutions that increase energy efficiency in buildings, launches Driving Transformation to Energy Efficient Buildings: Policies and Actions. (EDC Magazine)

Solar energy plane completes maiden intercontinental trip - A solar energy plane landed in Morocco on Tuesday, completing the world's first intercontinental flight powered by the sun to show the potential for renewable-energy air travel. (The Guardian)

Ethiopia: Four Companies Inch to Seal U.S.$16 Million Contract By Energy Ministry - Around four companies are on the verge of being awarded a 16-million dollar project to supply 25,000 rural households across Ethiopia with solar powered electricity once the World Bank gives its stamp of approval. (Elleni Araya, All Africa)

Consumption driving environment damage: UN - Population growth and unsustainable consumption are driving Earth towards "unprecedented" environmental destruction, the UN said in a report Wednesday ahead of the Rio Summit. (AFP)

Sustainable energy policy

Green energy needs milestones to grow -EU Commission - Europe must agree 2030 milestones as soon as possible to spur investment in renewable energy, or green power growth will fizzle once firm policy runs out in 2020, the European Commission said on Wednesday in its latest strategy statement. (Reuters)

House Bill Takes a Scythe to Spending - President Obama’s energy-efficiency and renewable energy efforts would be gutted, along with international climate change programs. And regulations to force new efficiency standards in federal buildings would be blocked. (Jonathan Weisman, The New York Times)

UN Environment Programme names its ‘2012 Champions of the Earth’ winners - A country president, a banker, an aeronaut, a scientist, a renewable energy businessman and a conservationist were today named as the six winners of the United Nations Champions of the Earth 2012 award, given to those whose actions and leadership have had a positive impact on the environment. (UN News Centre)

Renewable energy

Rio+20: Exploring the livelihood and environmental impacts of biofuels in the tropics – The economic and climate mitigation promises of biofuel expansion into tropical forests and woodlands are often elusive; in some cases land users struggle to reconstruct their livelihoods following displacement, while in others land use change may lead to the release of large amounts of carbon emissions that are difficult to reverse, says a set of CIFOR papers on biofuel impacts in a special issue of Ecology and Society.  (Laura German, Pablo Pacheco, and George Schoneveld, Forest News)

Solar Industry Has One Year of Inventory, French Lobby Says - Makers of solar panels and cells have inventory representing about a year of sales, meaning that the industry will see further bankruptcies and consolidation, the head of France’s Renewable Energy Association said. (Francois de Beaupuy, Bloomberg)

Power Corporation to Propel U.S.$250 Million Wind Farm Feasibility - EEPCO is to conduct a feasibility study for a 250 million dollar wind farm in Assela using a loan of a million dollars from the African Development Fund. (Mahlet Mesfin, All Africa)

Rio+20

Rio Earth summit nears as scientists warn planet faces grave threats - As thousands of people prepare to convene in Brazil this month for the Rio+20 Earth Summit, scientists and environmentalists alike are sending a sharp message: The planet is in dire straits. (Juliet Eilperin, The Washington Post)

#RioPlusSocial: What’s Your Vision for the Future? - Now, with the power of social media, we have the opportunity to make a change through one of our greatest assets: voice. (Jeremy Cabalona, Mashable)

Rio+20 Earth summit: Ban Ki-moon 'optimistic' about sustainability deal - The United Nations secretary general, Ban Ki-moon, expressed cautious optimism that the upcoming Rio+20 conference will result in a "once in a generation" blueprint for global sustainable development. (Jonathan Watts, The Guardian)

World Faces Stark Choice at Rio+20, UN Report Warns - Irreversible environmental damage threatens to destabilize the world's life-support systems unless urgent action is taken, according to the latest Global Environment Report (GEO-5) which looks to the Rio+20 summit as a crucial opportunity to halt this decline. (Isabella De Grave, IPS)

Rio+20: Getting Global Governance to Work for Hunger and Climate Change - Agriculture stands at the nexus of three of humankind's greatest challenges in the 21st century: achieving food and nutritional security, adapting to a changing climate that will severely hit agricultural production, and making a significant contribution to reducing the environmental footprint of agriculture. (Bruce Campbell Ph.D., The Huffington Post)

What Can Premier Wen Do For the Climate at Rio+20 - In less than two weeks, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao will join as many as 135 heads of state and 50,000 participants at the Rio+20 Earth Summit. (Michael Davidson, NRDC Switchboard)

Energy access

A Solar Suitcase To Treat Medical Emergencies In The Dark - Laura Stachel practiced as an obstetrician-gynecologist for over a decade before a back condition made it impossible for her to perform surgery and deliver babies. (Ariel Schwartz, Fast Company Co.Exist)

Low-Cost Solar Brightens Lives in the Developing World - A decade ago, Katherine Lucey oversaw a heavily subsidized $1,500 solar-light installation in the rural district of Mpigi in central Uganda. (Jeff Smith, National Geographic)

2012 Ashden awards announced - Last week saw the announcement of the 2012 winners of the Ashden Awards, with the National Trust scooping the UK Gold Award and £20,000 of prize money. (Sahiba Chadha, The Architects’ Journal)

Energy efficiency

Transformation to a Green Economy Through Green Buildings and Resource Efficient Cities - A new report was released by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), the United Nations Environment Programme's Regional Office for North America (UNEP RONA) and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD). (Levent Ozler, Dexigner)

UN: Humanity speeding down "unsustainable path" - A United Nations report warns that the earth's environmental systems "are being pushed towards their biophysical limits" and that sudden, irreversible and potentially catastrophic changes are looming. (CBS News)

WED - UN Advocates Sustainability of Global Resources - While marking World Environment Day, United Nations officials Tuesday highlighted the need for a change in thinking and approach to ensure the sustainability of the Earth's resources as the world population grows. (Abimbola Akosile, All Africa)

Ahead of Rio+20, "The Economy is Already Turning Green" - While governments make a last desperate attempt to agree on a plan of action for next week's Rio+20 summit on sustainable development – including plans on the transition to a green economy and a set of sustainable development goals – the real economy is already turning green, according to Italy’s minister of environment, Corrado Clini. (Sabina Zaccaro, IPS)

Renewable energy

Irena Says Renewable Energy May Create 4 Million Jobs by 2030 - The International Renewable Energy Agency said the United Nation’s goal of providing sustainable energy for all by 2030 may create up to 4 million jobs in the off-grid electricity industry alone. (Mahmoud Kassem, Bloomberg)

How Renewable Energy Solutions Reduce Poverty Around the World - Renewable energy solutions are not only good for the environment. If done well, they can pay for themselves and reduce poverty around the world. This is the message of the 2012 Ashden Awards, which just recognized inspiring renewable energy programs from Afghanistan, Cambodia, East Africa, India and Indonesia. (Peter Bosshard, The Huffington Post)

Volcanoes, seaweed and space lasers: Five energy technologies to fight climate change - With Ban Ki-moon pushing his Sustainable Energy for All initiative at the Rio+20 Summit this month and the IEA recently espousing the potential for gas, the energy question is being pulled in different directions. (John Parnell, RTCC)

Sustainable energy policy

Mexico's president enacts climate change legislation – Mr. Calderon said on Twitter that the law would make Mexico the "first developing country with integral legislation against climate change". The law, which sets targets on reducing greenhouse gas emissions and increasing the use of renewable energy, is only the second of its kind in the world. (BBC)

UN chief talks region with Saudi King - United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday met with Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, and the pair discussed a range of regional issues, according to Ban’s spokesperson. (Bikya Masr)

Europe Calls for Green Goals Beyond 2020 - As if Europe’s member states did not have enough pressure from above these days, yesterday saw European Commission Energy Commissioner Günther Oettinger push for greater cooperation and immediate action to carry the region beyond the EU’s 2020 goals. (Christopher Coats, Forbes)

Tweaking U.S. tax code could spur green energy: senator - A freshman Democratic senator thinks he may have found a way to encourage investment in wind, solar and biofuel projects without sapping too many taxpayer dollars or injecting new venom into a bitter partisan battle over energy incentives. (CNBC)

Rio+20

Call for commitments for Rio+20 - The negotiation document which is currently under preparation by governments for Rio+20 is becoming a very large paper with little concrete actions. There is no agreement on the governance framework yet and sustainable development goals have not been formulated. (The Guardian)

Rio+20: A Momentum for Resource Economics - Growth. Even before the concept is defined, we know what's on the agenda. It's not about plant growth, hair growth or growth in quality of life, it's about economic growth. (Peter Bjerregaard, The Huffington Post)

China vows to play positive role at UN environment summit but stresses economic needs - Chinese officials promised Friday to play a positive role in this month’s U.N. environment summit but stressed the needs of their country’s poor, apparently trying to dampen hopes for major concessions. (The Washington Post)

Energy efficiency

UNRISD Magazine Highlights Social Dimension of a Green Economy - The UN Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD) has published a magazine on the green economy and the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD, or Rio+20). (IISD Reporting Services)

Midwest Study: Adding More Wind Power Will Save Money - Adding more wind power to the electric grid could reduce wholesale market prices by more than 25 percent in the Midwest by 2020, according to a new analysis. (Carl Levesque, Renewable Energy World)

Embrace Natural Sources of Energy - Minister Kamanzi - The Rwandan people have been urged to embrace the use of naturally-occurring eco-friendly sources of energy such biogas and solar power, and to practice environmentally-conscious activities such as terracing to fight soil erosion. (News of Rwanda)

New Partnership to Promote Use of Renewable Energy - The Rwanda Housing Authority and a Korean firm, the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) plan to include the use of renewable energy technologies within the urbanization plan of Kigali City. (Ivan R. Mugisha, All Africa)

Energy access

Clean Energy, Water Projects Provide Access to Technologies - The clean energy projects currently underway in the country, and coverage of the national "Water for All" program have ensured the progress, well-being of people, productivity and access to environmental technologies, said Friday in Luanda, the Environment minister, Maria de Fátima Jardim. (Angola Press)

There’s An Energy Revolution Brewing in Bihar, India - Something’s brewing in Bihar. After decades of being India’s most notoriously “backward” state, the Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has tempered corruption, built roads and spurred development. (Justin Guay, Climate Progress)

From Collecting Fire Wood to Installing Solar Home Systems: Gender Equality and Women’s Access to Energy - The UN General Assembly has designated 2012 as the International Year of Universal Energy Access, and the UN system has undertaken a global initiative on Sustainable Energy for All by 2030, led by the UN Foundation. (Gail Karlsson, Heinrich Böll Stiftung North America)

Sustainable energy policy

Fossil fuel subsidies must end, says Indian microfinance firm - Governments must end subsidies for fossil fuels and focus instead on supporting renewable energy sources, the executive director of an award-winning microfinance organization said this week. (Liz Ford, The Guardian)

EU Plans Guidance on Support Plans for Renewables, Draft Shows - The European Union is planning to prepare guidance on the overhaul of renewable energy support programs after curbs on state subsidies by some nations undermined investors’ confidence, a draft EU document shows. (Ewa Krukowska, Bloomberg)

UN study foresees job gains with greener policies - Some 15 million to 60 million jobs could be created worldwide over the next two decades if nations took better care of the planet, according to a U.N. study released Thursday ahead of an international summit on sustainable development. (John Heilprin, Bloomberg BusinessWeek)

Sri Lanka says open trade could counter climate change - Sri Lanka's environment minister has said liberalized trade could mitigate climate change, helping spread energy-saving technologies and enabling countries facing scarcities to import to cover their requirements. (Lanka Business Online)

Liberia: Government Promotes Programs to Address Climate Change - Liberia's Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, and National Focal Point on Climate Change Benjamin Karmorh has told a conference of environmental and sustainable development experts that Liberia has put in place measures to address the climate change situation in the country. (AllAfrica)

Renewable energy

Almost Half of Big Corporations Plan Renewables Increase, Study Says - Nearly half of the world’s largest corporations plan to moderately or significantly increase investment in renewable energy over the next five years, according to research by Ernst & Young. (Environmental Leader)

Tide turns towards undersea energy - A 30-meter- turbine anchored to the seafloor off the Scottish coast is proving that tidal farms are a turn closer to being a viable renewable energy source. Scottish Power completed preliminary trials of the giant undersea turbine in the fast-flowing coastal waters off the Orkney Islands. It found that the turbine produced one megawatt of electricity, enough to power 500 homes and businesses. (Eoghan Macguire, CNN)

May in review: International renewable energy - International renewable news for the month includes alarming worldwide CO2 emission figures for 2011, coal vs. wind/solar pollution statistics, long-distance undersea energy connectors, an IMF forecast of unstable, rising oil energy costs, and stalled renewables in Spain. (Sandy Dechert, Examiner)

Renewable power: Developing markets are a ray of sunshine - High quality global journalism requires investment. Please share this article with others using the link below, do not cut & paste the article. See our Ts&Cs and Copyright Policy for more detail. (Financial Times)