June 2012: The International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) has announced the publication of a book titled “The Roads from Rio: Lessons Learned from Twenty Years of Multilateral Environmental Negotiation,” highlighting and illustrating the changes that have occurred in the 20 years between the 1992 UN Conference on Environment and Development (Rio Earth Summit) and the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD, or Rio+20).

The book, which is authored by members of IISD’s Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) team and edited by Pamela Chasek and Lynn Wagner, analyzes the multilateral environment process over the past 20 years, examining: the proliferation of multilateral environmental negotiations; changes in actors and their roles; the interlinkages of issues; the impact of scientific advice; and the challenges of implementation across negotiating processes.

It is divided into three main parts focusing on: the evolution of process; the evolution of actors; and the evolution of issues. The book examines a variety of negotiating processes, including those relating to climate change, desertification, biodiversity, sustainable development, forests, chemicals, ozone depletion, trade in endangered species, migratory species, and plant genetic resources for food and agriculture. It concludes by outlining lessons learned since the Rio Earth Summit. [IISD Announcement]