Dennis the 'Bloody Peasant'
13th June 2012, 09:02
No surprises of course, same as any international summit (irrespective of the stakes, they will always niggle and disagree and argue the toss over the slightest detail because the paymasters don't like it).
The final round of negotiations leading up to next week's Rio+20 summit begins on Wednesday with countries very much at odds on key issues.
The draft agreement would improve energy, water and food security in poorer countries, phase out fossil fuel subsidies and boost ocean protection.
But with three days of negotiations left, only 20% has been agreed.
One source close to the talks told BBC News that negotiators had been talking about punctuation, not principles.
The summit is widely seen as a crucial opportunity for leaders to put the global economy on a more sustainable footing.
The draft agreement - titled The Future We Want - is riddled with deletions, many instigated by the US and many by the G77/China bloc of developing nations.
Russia, Japan, the EU and other parties have also objected to key clauses.
The draft has been criticised in some quarters as being too lenient on businesses, especially major banks and commodity corporations.
"The Rio Earth Summit will not bring about the Future We Want, it will provide a stark and distressing reminder of the present we have," said Kumi Naidoo, executive director of Greenpeace International.
"A world in which public health, human rights and sustainable development are subordinate to private profit, shallow national interest and 'business as usual'."
(More at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-18412306)
The final round of negotiations leading up to next week's Rio+20 summit begins on Wednesday with countries very much at odds on key issues.
The draft agreement would improve energy, water and food security in poorer countries, phase out fossil fuel subsidies and boost ocean protection.
But with three days of negotiations left, only 20% has been agreed.
One source close to the talks told BBC News that negotiators had been talking about punctuation, not principles.
The summit is widely seen as a crucial opportunity for leaders to put the global economy on a more sustainable footing.
The draft agreement - titled The Future We Want - is riddled with deletions, many instigated by the US and many by the G77/China bloc of developing nations.
Russia, Japan, the EU and other parties have also objected to key clauses.
The draft has been criticised in some quarters as being too lenient on businesses, especially major banks and commodity corporations.
"The Rio Earth Summit will not bring about the Future We Want, it will provide a stark and distressing reminder of the present we have," said Kumi Naidoo, executive director of Greenpeace International.
"A world in which public health, human rights and sustainable development are subordinate to private profit, shallow national interest and 'business as usual'."
(More at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-18412306)