At the demonstrations in the streets of Rio de Janeiro and the colourful People’s Summit, civil society activists brainstormed together, chanted slogans and railed against nearly everything.
Meanwhile, in Riocentro, hours upon hours elapsed in dull deliberations and speeches by government officials that seemed as if they had been penned by the same ghost writer. Fresh air was exchanged for drab three-piece suits, perhaps explaining the lack of courage to forge a less grey future.
Rio+20 may pass into history as emblematic of the vast gulf between the cries in the streets and the uninspired language of the conference’s final outcome document.
But it is not the end of the road, not for the United Nations or for civil society.
The world body’s own secretary-general characterised the document as “timid”, and activist movements understand that much work remains unfinished.
For 2014, Sustainable Development Goals need to be defined – ones that are far more audacious than the “unanimous” document signed in Rio.
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