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1992
The Rio Conference: Questions for Britain

The UK’s early involvement in the environment debate arose from the damage caused by early industrialisation and urbanisation. This concern went global with the Stockholm Conference and, twenty years later, in June 1992, with the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro (the UN Conference on Environment and Development).

The crucial problems of how to provide for human needs and how to improve the quality of life of the poor "without jeopardising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs" was the key focus of this landmark event. This meant trying to build bridges between the environmental concerns of the industrialised world and the development interests of the rest.

In the end, however, the Summit focused on major environmental issues, like biodiversity and climate change, with the problems of development largely sidelined. The Foundation’s Second Consultation tested the UK’s response to this emerging agenda.

Partnerships will be key

Among the key conclusions:

• Rio was simply the beginning of a process, requiring follow-up action at the global, national, local and individual levels.
  
• There is a growing need for new and strengthened partnerships between government, business and NGOs, to develop a common agenda and a language that everyone understands.
  
• An international youth movement should be created.
  
• The role of the UK Government should be:
  - at the global level, one of leadership, using its diplomatic and institution-building skills and its Commonwealth contacts
  - in the UK, one of investment – in education and renewable energy – and of integrated policy development – for transport and energy.

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