In June this year, twenty years after the original 1992 Earth Summit, the United Nations will once again bring together a conference to discuss the environment and the global economy. The conference hopes to discuss what they call the ‘green economy’, a follow-on concept from ‘sustainable development’. The ‘green economy’ consists of (i) giving nature and ‘ecosystem services’ a financial value which can be used to facilitate trading, as has already taken place for carbon emissions, and (ii) using new ‘green’ technologies such synthetic biology/biomass and ‘geo-engineering’ to combat environmental problems. Hope or hype? Will new technologies build a real green economy or perpetuate the current greed economy?
Whose interests are served by such technocratic ‘green solutions’?
What are the risks of synthetic biology and geoengineering?
What’s wrong with putting financial values on nature?
Can we build a real green economy based upon economic justice?
Come join the debate, learn the latest details.

For more information  https://network23.org/invite
Speakers and support from: Luddites200, ETC group, the Land Magazine, Econexus
The event is free (bring lunch to share) but participants are encouraged to donate £2-10 to support the London Feminist Library. http://feministlibrary.co.uk

This teach-in will happen just before the Royal Society's "Planet Under Pressure" conference, a large international technology conference preparing for the RIO Earth Summit. Bring lunch to share.
The Planet Under Pressure conference will happen in the ExCel centre, London from March 26th through 29th (Monday -Thursday). The Conference is organised by the Royal Society and the IGBP (an international science group) with the tagline "New Knowledge Towards Solutions". In the words of the conference website they intend to "provide scientific leadership towards the 2012 UN Rio +20 conference". Plenary speakers and panellist include a speaker from the World Bank, a Shell Oil Company Vice President, and the Chief Scientist of the UK. Individual participation in the conference costs over 400£. Isn't it time to open up global decision making about our future to all the people who will be affected?  http://www.planetunderpressure2012.net

 https://network23.org/invite
Saturday March 24th, 11am to 5pm
 http://feministlibrary.co.uk/visit-us
London Feminist Library
5 Westminster Bridge Rd
London SE1 7XW