Rio+20 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development : is this the future we want?

This article focuses on the latest initiatives concerning sustainable development that occurred at the Rio+20 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20 conference) in June 2012. Two of the main themes at this conference were first, states could develop a green economy and secondly, states could strengthen the governance framework of international institutions involved with sustainable development. This article examines whether the proposals in the agreement made at the Rio+20 conference, called The Future We Want, are adequate in light of the suggestions made for change in the draft version of this agreement. Ultimately, the question is whether the reforms proposed in The Future We Want are likely to bring about the adjustments necessary to promote effective sustainable development action and maintain adequate protection of the environment for future generations.