The United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), also called the Rio de Janeiro Conference or the Earth Summit (Portuguese: ECO92, Cúpula da Terra), was a major United Nations meeting held in Rio de Janeiro from June 3 to June 14, 1992.

The Rio conference brought together 108 heads of state and government. It helped introduce the idea of sustainable development to the world.

A major result of the 1992 conference was the creation of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). This agreement was formed to address "dangerous human interference with the climate system" and to reduce greenhouse gas levels in the atmosphere. It was signed by 154 countries during the UNCED conference. By 2022, the UNFCCC had 198 member countries. Its main decision-making group, the Conference of the Parties (COP), meets every year to review progress on climate change.

Since the UNFCCC was created, many other environmental meetings, climate discussions, and scientific research projects have continued to study issues related to sustainability, climate, and environmental safety. Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and schools have played important roles in these efforts.

The Earth Summit helped spread important ideas in environmental treaties, such as the precautionary principle, common but differentiated responsibilities, and the polluter pays principle.

Background

The 1972 United Nations Conference on the Human Environment (UNCHE), also called the Stockholm Conference, was the first worldwide meeting to discuss environmental problems. It happened in Stockholm, Sweden, from June 5 to June 16, 1972.

The Earth Summit was made to help countries work together internationally on development issues after the Cold War. Because problems about sustainability were too large for one country to handle, the Earth Summit was held as a place for other countries to join forces and work together.

Issues addressed

The issues discussed include:

• careful study of how things are made, especially the creation of harmful materials like lead in gasoline or dangerous waste such as radioactive chemicals
• finding new energy sources to replace fossil fuels, which are connected to global climate change
• increasing use of public transportation to lower vehicle pollution, reduce traffic jams in cities, and decrease health problems caused by polluted air and smoke
• the increasing use of water and the limited amount of water available
• the need to protect the world's oceans.

Development

An important result of the summit was an agreement called the Climate Change Convention, which later led to the Kyoto Protocol and the Paris Agreement. Another agreement was to avoid actions on indigenous peoples' lands that could harm the environment or be disrespectful to their culture.

The Convention on Biological Diversity was signed at the Earth Summit and began efforts to create new ways to measure progress that do not harm natural areas or support harmful economic growth. World Oceans Day was first suggested at this meeting and has been recognized since.

President George H. W. Bush signed the Earth Summit's Climate Convention, but his EPA Administrator, William K. Reilly, noted that the United States faced challenges in negotiations and had mixed results internationally, including not signing the Convention on Biological Diversity.

Twelve cities received the Local Government Honours Award for creative local environmental programs. These included Sudbury, Canada, for repairing environmental damage from mining; Austin, United States, for its green building plan; and Kitakyūshū, Japan, for adding international education to its pollution control efforts.

The Earth Summit produced these documents:
• Rio Declaration on Environment and Development
• Agenda 21
• Forest Principles

Important legally binding agreements (Rio Convention) were opened for signing:
• Convention on Biological Diversity
• Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)

At the summit, it was decided to create an International Negotiating Committee for a third agreement, the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification. This agreement was negotiated within two years of the summit, signed, and became effective in 1996 after 50 countries approved it.

To ensure the agreements from Rio (especially the Rio Declaration and Agenda 21) were followed, the Earth Summit created the Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD). In 2013, the CSD was replaced by the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development, which meets yearly as part of ECOSOC meetings and every four years as part of the General Assembly meetings.

Some people say many Rio agreements have not been achieved in important areas like fighting poverty or improving the environment. Malaysia blocked the United States' proposed forest convention, and its prime minister, Mahathir Mohamad, later accused countries in the global North of practicing eco-imperialism. Vandana Shiva said the Earth Summit created a "moral base for green imperialism."

In 2013, the Geneva-based organization Green Cross International was formed to continue the work of the summit.

The first edition of Water Quality Assessments, published by WHO/Chapman & Hall, was introduced at the Rio Global Forum.

Youth

At this time, young people were not officially acknowledged in climate governance. Even though they were not given special recognition, many young people attended the UNCED event. They helped discuss Chapter 25 of Agenda 21, which focuses on children and youth in sustainable development.

Two years before UNCED, young people from around the world organized internationally to prepare for the Earth Summit. Their concerns were gathered during a meeting called Juventud (Youth) 92 in Costa Rica, which happened before the Earth Summit.

At the same time as UNCED, young people held the Youth '92 conference, with participants from many countries. Planning for the event happened both before and after the conference. Many young people felt the pace of change was too slow.