In the heart of sunny Rio de Janeiro, 192 representatives from different countries will reunite to discuss a range of solutions to numerous environmental problems, striving to establish a balance between economic growth and environmental protection. 

This high-level meeting, taking place until the 22nd June, is being organised by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, 20 years after the summit in 1992 when leaders established a global green agenda. 20,000 police officers have been called in to guard the follow-up summit.

This year, major themes will centre around bio-diversity and sustainable development. And a number of nations will focus on announcing a series of environmental targets at the summit including the Principality of Monaco. Prince Albert II is set to attend the conference, where he will attend a number of meetings regarding sustainable development of the seas and oceans. The prince has been preparing his proposal since 2011, working closely with Zukang Sha, a UN official and Brice Lalonde, a former Environment Minister and a coordinator of the Rio +20. 

On Monday at the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), a side event of the Rio summit, the Prince of Monaco gave a speech during a session entitled Forests: The Heart of the Green Economy.

However, a number of environmentalists believe that the summit will not exactly be a huge turning point in the fight for environmental protection as several prominent world leaders will not be attending the conference due to tensions related with the deepening financial crisis. Absent leaders will include UK Prime Minister David Cameron, German ChancellorAngela Merkel and US President Barack Obama. However, new Socialist President François Hollande will be attending this international gathering. 

Despite continuous warnings from specialists and scientists, global warning and climate change are becoming serious issues and the earth has continued to depreciate in the past 20 years. According to recent statistics from the Living Planet report, Carbon emissions have increased by 20 per cent over the past two decades. 

Quick and effective solutions are urgent in this battle against global warming, especially considering the fact that the global population is predicted to rise from 7 billion to 9 billion between now and 2050. 

Katie Williams