Rio + 20

The planet will debate its future. That's how we can summarize it. United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, Rio + 20Brazil's proposal to host Rio+20 was approved by the United Nations General Assembly at its 64th Session in 2009. It was President Lula's government, at that time, that made clear Brazil's desire to host the meeting, continuing the work begun in 1992, when nearly two hundred leaders from countries across five continents participated in the successful Rio+20 conference. ECO 92Also held in Rio de Janeiro, they jointly debated, for the first time, the extremely important environmental issue. And now, under the leadership of President Dilma Rousseff, Brazil will host another historic meeting that will certainly guide the actions of so many countries regarding a topic that is undoubtedly the most important today and for the future of humanity.

There is no denying that the planet's advances in defending its environment and preserving human existence itself have become more effective after the emblematic event. ECO 92But these were not enough: crimes against the environment continue, as do mineral depredations and forest devastations, pollution that transforms large cities into veritable slow-acting gas chambers, the persistent melting of the polar ice caps, the evident changes in climate, the warming of the planet, and the noticeable worsening of living conditions for billions of people.

The country that pollutes and harms the environment the most is precisely the one that refuses to courageously confront the clear and dramatic issue: the planet is dying. The position of the United States, marching against the tide of history, by obstructing the Kyoto Protocol Not signing it during the ill-fated administration of George W. Bush is proof of that. They evaded the commitment to reduce emissions of gases that cause the 'greenhouse effect' and consequently, global warming.

It is not enough to verbalize supposed concerns about the critical present and a catastrophic future that can be avoided, much less to make vague promises to participate in the necessary effort to defend human life and preserve the planet: it is necessary to act with transparency and effectiveness. And this has not been the case, unfortunately, since the policy of the world's greatest power has not changed much: with Bush or with Obama, the United States continued to pollute and ignore the environmental awareness that is fortunately expanding around the world, winning over minds and hearts.

The situation we face is far from comfortable, but the demonstrated willingness to reverse its dramatic course is encouraging. The average surface temperature of the Earth has increased by 0,74°C in just over two centuries. It seems like a small amount, but it's absurd. An increase of between 1,8°C and 4°C by the year 2100 is expected if this rate continues. Even if only the minimum increase predicted occurs, it will still surpass any temperature rise recorded in the last 10.000 years! The results? Drastic climate changes, with brutal repercussions on life on the planet: floods, droughts, setbacks of all kinds, not only climatic but also social and economic, worsening human existence and the lives of nations if the urgently needed measures are not taken.

And there's more. Sea levels have risen dramatically by 10 to 20 centimeters in the 20th century alone, and an increase of 18 to 59 centimeters is entirely possible by the (at least so far) fateful year of 2100. Rising temperatures cause an increase in ocean volume and, consequently, the melting of the polar ice caps; thus, the melting ice further increases sea levels. Densely populated countries, such as Bangladesh, for example, could be wiped off the map, submerged like modern Atlantises, at the cost of hundreds of millions (or billions?) of lives. This is not what we want for future generations.

Fortunately, the planet that will discuss itself in Rio + 20The world today, with its concerns and hopes, expressed through its leaders, is quite different from what it was in 1992, when it was just beginning to awaken to the delicate and pressing environmental issue. In the 21st century, we face the same problems as then, some even aggravated, but fortunately, we now have a vast array of achievements, measures, initiatives, projects, legislation, and government policies that are in line with what the Earth, which gives us so much, expects us to do for it.

(*) Delúbio Soares is a professor

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