Friends of the Earth is less diplomatic.
“After nine days of talks, the Earth Summit is finally winding to an end. We have analysed the final text of the Programme of Implementation and found precisely TWO new and specific targets in the whole thing:
1. To halve by 2015 the proportion of people who … do not have access to basic sanitation (para 7), and
2. Establishment of marine protected networks … including representative networks by 2012 (para 31c) – which is really half a target, but we prefer to be generous in our praise.
“After nine days of talks, the Earth Summit is finally winding to an end. We have analysed the final text of the Programme of Implementation and found precisely TWO new and specific targets in the whole thing:
1. To halve by 2015 the proportion of people who … do not have access to basic sanitation (para 7), and
2. Establishment of marine protected networks … including representative networks by 2012 (para 31c) – which is really half a target, but we prefer to be generous in our praise.
“And that’s it. In every other case, existing commitments are simply reaffirmed, watered down, or trashed altogether.
"Paragraph 5(a) promises to 'urge the developed countries … to make concrete efforts towards the target of 0.7% of GNP as official development assistance'.
"Paragraph 19(e) contains the disgraceful promotion of 'clean' fossil fuels, a betrayal of the Kyoto Protocol to combat climate change (although the announcement of ratification by both Canada and Russia this week is a welcome step).
"Paragraph 5(a) promises to 'urge the developed countries … to make concrete efforts towards the target of 0.7% of GNP as official development assistance'.
"Paragraph 19(e) contains the disgraceful promotion of 'clean' fossil fuels, a betrayal of the Kyoto Protocol to combat climate change (although the announcement of ratification by both Canada and Russia this week is a welcome step).
"Paragraph 22 talks about dangerous chemicals but is only 'aiming to achieve by 2020 that chemicals are produced in ways that lead to the minimisation of significant adverse effects on human health' (!).
"Paragraph 42 talks of 'a significant reduction in the current rate of loss of biological diversity', a clear step backwards from the UN Convention on Biological Diversity.
"We could go on, but the list of weasel words and lost promises is nearly endless. Do not believe Government spin doctors who claim success for this Summit. It is by any objective test a failure.”
"Paragraph 42 talks of 'a significant reduction in the current rate of loss of biological diversity', a clear step backwards from the UN Convention on Biological Diversity.
"We could go on, but the list of weasel words and lost promises is nearly endless. Do not believe Government spin doctors who claim success for this Summit. It is by any objective test a failure.”