Standing before anxious delegates at the 1992 united nations Conference on Environment and development (UNCED) in Rio de Janeiro, united States President George H. W. Bush was adamant. “We believe that the road to Rio must point toward both environmental protection and economic growth, environment and development,” the president proclaimed. “By now it’s clear: To sustain development, we must protect the environment. And to protect the environment, we must sustain development.”11xGeorge H. W. Bush, “Address to the united nations Conference on Environment and development in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil” (12 June 1992)
The president’s speech was significant for a number of reasons. For one, he signaled the willingness of the united States to engage the incipient united nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, which has set the pattern for international cooperation on global warming to this day. He also reaffirmed high-level concern with growing perceptions of environmental degradation. More broadly, though, the president tapped into increasing concern over the concept of “sustainability.”