With the Rio+20 Summit just around the corner, an army of delegations, representatives and stakeholders are heading towards the sunny Brazilian capital, hoping to agree on the next steps towards a more sustainable and equitable future. IEEP has been actively involved in the debate running up to Rio+20, contributing particularly to the Green Economy discussions highlighting the value of natural capital (i.e. biodiversity and ecosystem services) in supporting sustainable development. Read our recent briefings on the Green Economy. Delivering these messages in Rio will be two of our team, Patrick ten Brink and Marianne Kettunen. They will be playing an integral role in several Rio+20 events in the next week or so, including:

• TEEB for Water and Wetlands 15 June (1.30 – 3 pm) organised by the Ramsar Convention 

• Using markets to supply ecosystem services: how to make it happen? 15 June (3.30 – 5 pm) organised by the Forum for Reforms Entrepreneurship and Sustainability (FORES)  

• How Research Can Inform the Green Economy Transition 18 June (12-1 pm) organised by UNEP. 

• ISEE 2012 Conference – Ecological Economics and Rio+20 – TEEB Day: Nature and its Role in the Transition Towards a Green Economy 18 June (3:15 – 4:45 pm) 

• High level seminar “Natural capital in a green economy – from regional insights to a global partnership” 19 June (5-7pm) by the Nordic Council of Ministers (NCM) and the UNEP TEEB initiative. Speakers include TEEB Study Leader Pavan Sukhdev, Norwegian Minister of the Environment Bård Vegar Solhjell and Greenland Minister of Finance Maliina Abelsen 

If you are in Rio, please join us!