Nothing Grand in Rio

An environmental meeting this week in Brazil may not accomplish much of note. But promoters say that's OK.

By JOHN BIERS June 18, 2012

Thousands of officials from government, business and other groups are converging on Rio this week to advance the cause of sustainable development. Their timing couldn't be worse.

The conference, led by the United Nations, comes as leading Western powers struggle to recover from one of the worst economic downturns in memory. The event also comes hot on the heels of other global environmental gatherings that have fallen short of hopes, leading to summit fatigue and diminished expectations.

Some news coverage has already depicted the meeting as a failure, in part because some prominent world leaders won't attend and in part because there isn't a clear agenda to frame the discussion.

But supporters say the problem isn't with the summit. Instead, they argue, the problem stems from unrealistic expectations. They believe that the summits can succeed—if people start to think about the kinds of things that such events can accomplish, instead of simply focusing on what they can't.

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