That’s right if you think you have had your fill of environmental conferences think again. Rio +20 is the follow up summit to the original “Earth Summit” held in the same city in 1992. This was a key moment in the life the modern environmental movement and the birth place of a number of well known environmental concepts. These include the most widely accepted definition of “Sustainable Development” as well as the motto “Think Global, Act Local” which has been the mantra of green movement ever since.

 In South Africa the Rio summit was particularly important because of its timing. Falling as it did just at the end of apartheid meant that sustainable development was a key policy component in our country’s overall approach to the environment. Johannesburg was also the host city for the first follow up conference of Rio +10 in 2002. In the wake of the damp squib that was COP17 it seems this year’s Rio conference looks to be much bigger and brighter than its Durban counterpart. The chatter amongst international NGO’s is that their delegations are going to be much larger than those that attended COP17. 

There are a number of reasons for this; firstly this is a “summit” not a “conference of the parties”. This neat little piece of UN jargon means that the players are much bigger and are likely to include prime ministers not just environmental departments. The earth summits are also seen as being much more participative for NGO’s than the COP’s which are mostly dominated by big business and big government. Lastly the Rio +20 is likely to be much more diverse with a focus on all things environmental including water, soil, waste, conservation, people and all things in between this is unlike the COP’s which are just focused more on climate change.

It’s not just environmental conferences that are talking “Green” however the issue is becoming part of all sorts of arenas. Just this week in Davos at The World Economic Forum the world’s uber- capitalists had a serious debate about “Green Growth”.

The question is, for the average guy or girl just trying to find their way around an organic carrot label, do these gatherings actually make any difference? Is it as satirical website Haiybo.com put it that they are simply “Where the 1% goes, to spend the 99%’s money to achieve 0% results” or is there more to it than that?

Certainly with the lack of results at COP17, increased rhino poaching and new issues being raised around food production one could be for forgiven for a negative outlook. I however would tend to look on the positive. If one thinks about how far from the mainstream environmental issues we were even 10 years ago never mind 20 it is simply mind boggling. What was once the preserve of long-haired hippies is now a topic at home in corporate board rooms and government ministries the world over. There has also been a mushrooming of people power on the subject with more environmental NGO’s than trees in the Amazon. 

The most encouraging sign however is that ordinary people are starting to think about the environment and the impact that they are having on it. What’s more, technology has started to catch up so that it’s not just the big boys with big green toys who can only make the difference.

At Absolute energy we can cover every aspect important to your energy consumption. Whether its solar lights for your patio or water heating pumps for your roof we can provide a whole range of solutions to fit your pocket and your lifestyle. You may not make it to the summit, but there is no reason why you shouldn’t be able to do your part to save the world.