UN convened a UNCED (United Nations Conference on Environment and Development) at Rio de Janerio in 1992.

The 800 page document guidelines and principles proclaimed at Rio were not legally binding. They contain comprehensive blueprint for government on everything from population strategy, management of hazardous waste, recycling, energy conservation, renewable energy, business strategies to role of women in environment.

In 2012, 20 years after the Earth Summit, world leaders reconvened on 13-22 June in Rio de Janeiro for the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD), or Rio+20, to review progress since 1992.

One study shows that out of 95 000 industrial chemicals, only 5 percent have adequate data on acute aquatic toxicity, the extent to which they build up in the environment (bioconcentration), or how long it takes for them to break down. In 2002, global leaders agreed that by the year 2020 chemicals should be produced and used in ways that minimize significant adverse impacts on human health and the environment with less than eight years to go, action on sound chemicals management needs to be urgently stepped up to reach this goal.

A further re-emerging challenge highlighted in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) is the increase of poaching of elephants and rhinos and the related illegal trade in ivory and rhino horn. A record 668 rhinos were poached in South Africa in 2012 alone.

There were some 7.06 billion people in the world by the end of 2012 (US Census Bureau 2013). It is expected that there will be more than 10 billion by 2100 (UN 2011). By comparison, the world population was only 3.85 billion in 1972, the year of the UN Conference on the Human Environment and the establishment of the UN Environment Programme

During Rio+20, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon launched the Zero Hunger challenge, inviting all countries to work for a future where every individual has adequate nutrition and where all food systems are resilient (UNCSD 2012b). The Think-Eat-Save: Reduce Your Food print global campaign launched by UNEP, FAO and other organizations supports this initiative by focusing on a reduction of food waste. One concrete outcome of Rio+20 was the adoption of a 10-Year Framework of Programs on Sustainable Consumption and Production. The purpose of this framework is to enhance international co-operation and innovation in order to accelerate the shift towards sustainable consumption and production in both developed and developing countries

Since 2008, more than half the people in the world live in urban areas. It is projected that this proportion will grow to two-thirds by 2050. However, the number of megacities (cities with over 10 million) is expected to increase from 23 in 2012 to 37 by 2025. Intensive human activities and energy consumption in urban areas lead to a concentration of emissions of air pollutants and generation of waste and heat, with multiple adverse impacts on the urban environment, especially air quality. PM2.5 is a component of black carbon. Black carbon and groundlevel ozone (or tropospheric ozone) are two of the short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs).

UNEPs fifth Global Environment Outlook (GEO-5) shows that progress on meeting environmental goals and objectives to improve the state of the environment has been uneven Efforts to slow the rate or extent of adverse environmental change, including improvements in resource efficiency and implementation of mitigation measures, have had modest success but have not succeeded in reversing these changes. Out of 90 of the worlds most important environmental goals assessed, significant progress has been made on only four: access to improved drinking water supplies, phasing out leaded fuel, boosting research to reduce pollution of the marine environment, and eliminating production and use of ozone depleting substances.

Redesigning conventional waste management systems so they can handle the growing volumes and types of waste effectively and efficiently could contribute to improving public health as well as increasing economic opportunities. Integrated Solid Waste Management (ISWM) is a promising approach that local authorities can use to achieve that objective.

Sea level rise increased between 1993 and 2011 by approximately 3.2 mm per year. Melting ice in the polar regions was a major contributor.

Data compiled by the CITES programme for Monitoring the Illegal Killing of Elephants (MIKE) indicate an ongoing increase in levels of illegal killing of elephants since 2006, with 2011 showing the highest levels of poaching.

In 2012, unprecedented change was observed in the Arctic. Summer sea ice cover reached a record low of 3.4 million km2. This was 18 per cent below the previous recorded minimum in 2007.

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