“Inaction in Rio would be disastrous, but a single international agreement would be a grave mistake. We cannot rely on singular global policies to solve the problem of managing our common resources: the oceans, atmosphere, forests, waterways, and rich diversity of life that combine to create the right conditions for life, including seven billion humans, to thrive.” (Source: Project Syndicate)

The death of economics Nobel Prize winner Elinor Ostrom a few days before the Rio+20 conference, is symbolic. Just like she lost the fight against cancer, humanity is losing the battle for a healthy planet. Her work on the commons should have been the starting point for the Rio conference. See  for instance “Commons at Rio+20: Reinventing the world”