Don’t be fooled by this re-branding of the global governance movement.
Climatewire reports:
UNITED NATIONS — This summer’s sustainable development conference in Brazil, known as Rio+20, is emerging as an overt attempt by U.N. officials to shift away from the divisive politics of climate change to a broader debate on the green economy and how to bring it to developing nations.
On the heels of arguably little movement on an international climate pact during U.N.-sponsored talks in South Africa, Mexico and Denmark, officials here now say they view Rio+20 as a way to get past intractable policy fights between developed and developing nations over greenhouse gas emissions cuts, to focus on core issues like trade and technology.
The head of Brazil’s delegation during the most recent talks, in Durban, South Africa, last week made it clear that his role in the Rio de Janeiro conference will be to press the conversation elsewhere. Sustainable development as part of an emerging new economy, not climate change, will be the featured attraction this summer, in what appears to be a directed strategy to enter new territory during U.N. negotiations.
Rio de Janeiro’s Riocentro convention center, where diplomats will try to find an easier path toward international action on climate change.
“Climate change … has very strong resistance from sectors that are going to be substantially altered, like the oil industry,” Ambassador Andre Correa do Lago said. “Sustainable development is something that is as simple as looking at how we would like to be in 10 or 20 years”…