Earth Summit 2002 - Greenpeace

Since 1972, the world's leaders have met every 10 years to address the state of the world's environment, and the impacts of development. Since the Brundtland Commission formalised the term in its 1987 report, this issue is known as "sustainable development".

The latest in this series of meetings is the 2002 Earth Summit. Formally called the UN World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD), it will take place in Johannesburg, South Africa, from 26 August - 4 September.

In 1972, government leaders met for the first time to discuss global environmental issues, at the UN Conference on the Human Environment in Stockholm, Sweden. This meeting set out basic principles concerning environmental problems and the obligations of individuals and states to address those problems. Some argue that this meeting marked the beginning of the environmental movement.

In 1982, the Cold War was at its height and the meeting held in Nairobi, Kenya, failed to engage the world to such a degree that it is not considered an official Earth Summit.

By 1992, the world's priorities had changed and the UN Conference on Environment and Development, also known as the Earth Summit, held in Rio de Janeiro, remains the largest gathering of world leaders in history. It generated an ambitious program to fight climate change, protect biodiversity and rid the world of its most dangerous toxics. This program was formulated in the treaties and commitments that emerged from Rio, which have been carried forward with varying degrees of commitment and hence success.

The 2002 Earth Summit, in Johannesburg, South Africa, again takes place in a changing world. Distribution of the world's wealth is increasingly polarised - making sustainable development the centrepiece of this year's Earth Summit

Against this backdrop, the power of large corporations has massively increased in the last decade, spurred on by massive corporate mergers, supported by governments, and protected by powerful trade bodies such as the World Trade Organisation.

Earth Summit process

There are a series of preparatory meetings (called "Prepcomms") in the lead-up to the Johannesburg Earth Summit: Prepcomm I, II & III in New York in April 2001, January 2002 and March 2002; and Prepcom IV, which will be attended by government Ministers, in Bali, Indonesia, in May 2002. At these meetings government representatives meet to set the framework for the final outcome of the Johannesburg Summit, and identify the key issues that will finally be debated and decided by leaders at the summit.

Greenpeace is one of the Non Governmental Organisations that have consultative status to the United Nations, and Greenpeace is an active participant in the summit and its treaty processes.