Contents
10 Successes:
1. An ozone-friendly future
The ozone layer is beginning to recover. International co-operation to eliminate ozone-depleting chemicals has been successful. More Information
2. Small is bountiful
Even though international progress since Rio has been slow, thousands of practical projects at a grassroots level have borne fruit. More Information
3. The rise and rise of civil society
Experts, interest groups and ordinary people have made inroads into the policy-making process. More Information
4. Sustainability, Inc.: the emergence of corporate social responsibility
Business is beginning to recognize its wider responsibility towards people, communities and the environment. More Information
5. Levelling the information playing field
Electronic communications are making information more widely available and decision-making more transparent. More Information
6. Knowledge is power: pushing the boundaries of science and technology
Major advances have been made in the way we understand natural systems, and in the development of sustainable technologies. More Information
7. Keeping track: measuring progress towards sustainability
The development of more accurate indicators and accounting practices gives us a better picture of our progress toward--or our movement away from --sustainability. More Information
8. The Kyoto Protocol: global problem, global solution
Despite a U-turn by the U.S. and some backtracking in Bonn, Kyoto represents a crucial milestone on the road to a stable atmosphere. More Information
9. Permeating the corridors of power
In several countries, the principles of sustainable development have begun to infiltrate the machinery of governance. More Information
10. Other promising starts: landmark agreements on chemical and biological risks
Environmental agreements like the Biosafety Protocol and the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants offer new safeguards for communities and the environment, provided that they are matched by strong leadership. More Information
10 Failures:
1. The breakdown of the Rio bargain
The 10 years since Rio have been a lost decade, marked by the collapse of leadership and a failure of the rich countries to deliver on their 1992 promises. More Information
2. Pulling up the ladder: the widening wealth gap
Despite rising incomes globally, the number of people living in absolute poverty continues to rise. More Information
3. Use it up, throw it out: over-consumption as a way of life
Despite increased awareness of the problems, it seems developed countries remain wedded to their pollution-intensive lifestyles. More Information
4. What price aid? The folly of the Washington Consensus
Strings attached to financial aid packages have done substantial harm to developing countries. More Information
5. Costing the Earth: economics still sends the wrong signals
Delegates at Rio recognized that economics and the environment needed to be brought into line, but it seems the environment is still being short-changed. More Information
6. Whatever happened to world peace?
High hopes for harmony following the end of the cold war have been dashed by a fresh spate of armed conflicts. More Information
7. Sea sickness: oceans and fisheries in peril
Marine ecosystems have paid a high price for overfishing, pollution and coastal development. More Information
8. Pressure mounts around scarce water resources
Climate change, coupled with political tensions and competition for increasingly scarce clean water, provides a recipe for conflict. More Information
9. The human tragedy of AIDS
The AIDS virus has wreaked havoc on developing countries, especially in Africa, and the devastation continues. More Information
10. Lost forever: species extinctions continue unchecked
Despite the good intentions of the Biodiversity Convention, thousands of species a year are disappearing from the face of the planet. More Information
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