Fifty Up!

The Stockholm United Nations conference and the Rio Earth summit both took place in 1992. Consequently, we can't claim to have not had advanced warnings about the planet's impending environmental issues (https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/may/29/observer-view-70-years-warnings-environment). The Stockholm UN conference was the first world forum that focused on the environmental issues, already known to sections of Science, for some 20 years. The conference reiterated our need to actually care for the Earth's oceans, land and forests. That Stockholm conference ultimately led to the setting up of the UN's Environment Programme. The Rio Earth summit attempted to get all nations to commit to environmentally responsible approaches to economic growth (rather than assuming the Earth was limitless). It was followed by conventions on climate change, biodiversity and forestry. These two 50-year old events clearly focused attention, leading to meaningful benefits. Their science, however, has been/still is hotly resisted by a well-financed array of commercial, religious and political interests. Clearly, insufficient progress has been made in the intervening 50 years since Stockholm and Rio. Our human population is poised to reach 8 billion. The concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is higher than it has been for millennia. Climate change is current and rampant. Millions of species are imminently threatened with extinction. Plastics and dangerous chemicals get everywhere. Passive acceptance/apathy, however, is wholly inappropriate. People and institutions need to be firmly held to account. No more procrastinating!