Skip to main content

Curated by Project Syndicate

The Road to Rio+20

14 commentaries

This week, the UN Conference on Sustainable Development brings together world leaders and representatives of business and civil society, to galvanize support for a global sustainable development agenda. But, as developed countries struggle to recover from the global recession, and emerging-market growth slows, will the international community commit to real action? Project Syndicate's contributors examine the conference's prospects and outcomes.

Sort by: Show:
  1. Rio’s Unsustainable Nonsense
    c661f80246f86f181493fc5d_m3601.jpg

    Rio’s Unsustainable Nonsense

    Jun 21, 2012 Jagdish Bhagwati

  2. Globalizing Innovation
    122e100246f86ff009f1358b_pa3894c.jpg Paul Lachine

    Globalizing Innovation

    Jun 19, 2012 Mark Stafford Smith

  3. A Rio Report Card
    1d8a0a0346f86f6810357dd3_dr4488c.jpg Dean Rohrer

    A Rio Report Card

    Jun 18, 2012 Jeffrey D. Sachs

  4. Putting Water in Rio
    pa3076c.jpg Paul Lachine

    Putting Water in Rio

    Jun 17, 2012 Famke Janssen

  5. Wrongheaded in Rio
    jk771.jpg Jon Krause

    Wrongheaded in Rio

    Jun 13, 2012 Bjørn Lomborg

  6. Green from the Grassroots
    ostrom1_Romolo Tavani_Getty images_climate Romolo Tavani/Getty Images

    Green from the Grassroots

    Jun 12, 2012 Elinor Ostrom thinks climate change is best addressed through local and regional policies.

  1. goldberg28_DENIS BALIBOUSEPOOLAFP via Getty Images_wto Denis Balibouse/Pool/AFP via Getty Images

    Why Have Developing Countries Soured on Multilateralism?

    Pinelopi Koujianou Goldberg traces the roots of dissatisfaction to advanced economies' use of bodies like the World Trade Organization.
  2. stiglitz331_serggnGetty Images_techregulation serggn/Getty Images

    A Big Defeat for Big Tech

    Joseph E. Stiglitz

    Tech companies know that if there is an open, democratic debate about data security, consumers’ concerns about digital safeguards will win out. And while the industry's lobbyists tried to ensure that no such debate could ever occur, one of their more cynical moves has now been exposed and thwarted.

    details how the industry tried to slip extraordinary protections against regulation into US trade agreements.
  3. zizek27_Giles ClarkeGetty Images_jimmycherizier Giles Clarke/Getty Images

    Haiti’s Proud Boys

    Slavoj Žižek

    If we measure a failed state by the cracks in the edifice of its power, reflected in brewing ideological civil wars, deadlocked assemblies, and increasingly insecure public spaces, we must recognize that the United States is not so unlike Haiti. Both have given rise to violent gangs with political ambitions.

    warns that rich Western democracies are not immune to politically motivated gang violence.
  4. hedegaard11_y Dursun AydemirAnadolu via Getty Images_parliament elections Dursun Aydemir/Anadolu via Getty Images

    Unity Is Europe’s Greatest Asset

    Connie Hedegaard emphasizes the importance of stability amid persistent economic and geopolitical crises.
  5. qian34_PEDRO PARDOAFP via Getty Images_immigration PEDRO PARDO/AFP via Getty Images

    The Truth About US Immigration

    Nancy Qian warns that overheated campaign-season rhetoric is dangerously polarizing and ultimately self-defeating.
  6. mueller51_ David McNewGetty Images_gop trump David McNew/Getty Images

    The Zombification of Political Parties

    Jan-Werner Mueller argues that Donald Trump’s capture of the GOP’s organizational machinery recalls authoritarian tactics elsewhere.
  7. basu100_David Dee DelgadoGetty Images_newyork David Dee Delgado/Getty Images

    The Economic Consequences of Legal Behavior

    Kaushik Basu highlights the potential benefits of emphasizing adherence to the spirit of laws, if not their letter.
  8. brown106_KOLA SULAIMONAFP via Getty Images_nigeriaschool Kola Sulaimon/AFP via Getty Images

    For Nigeria’s Schools, Safety Must Come First

    Gordon Brown writes that the latest mass abduction of students underscores the dilemma facing parents throughout the country.
  9. owoo1_disabled iStock / Getty Images Plus

    Give Women with Disabilities a Chance

    Nkechi S. Owoo explains what is needed to protect and empower one of the world’s most vulnerable demographic groups.

Edit Newsletter Preferences

Set up Notification

To receive email updates regarding this {entity_type}, please enter your email below.

If you are not already registered, this will create a PS account for you. You should receive an activation email shortly.