ABSTRACT

Why was the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, 2002, different from the Earth Summit (UNCED 1992) in Rio de Janeiro, and less appealing? Why did we not place the future at the heart of our deliberations? Why didn’t we really address questions concerning the destiny of the Earth, the needs of poor people and the risks confronting future generations? Was it a lack of imagination? Was it due to old-fashioned, impotent machinery and procedures within the UN system? Was it scepticism, a lack of political will, a lack of insight into changed world conditions or a lack of capacity to translate new insights into a new approach? Or have we become obsessed by the risks of today: security questions and the war against terrorism?