The Johannesburg Summit 2002: A Call for Action

A February 2002 statement by the Center for International Environmental Law and other organizations calling on U.S. President George W. Bush to attend the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, South Africa, and to commit to specific environmental actions.

• The authors urge President George W. Bush to attend the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, South Africa, to address the linked issues of economic development, social equity, and environmental protection.
• The document identifies several urgent global environmental crises, including that over 11,000 species are at high risk of extinction, 75 percent of global fisheries are exploited at or beyond capacity, and at least 90 million hectares of forests were lost between 1990 and 2000.
• The statement highlights severe deficits in basic resources, noting that more than one billion people lack clean drinking water, over one billion urban residents breathe polluted air, and two billion people lack adequate energy supplies.
• The signatories request that the United States take specific leadership actions, including reducing carbon dioxide emissions, stimulating renewable energy and energy efficiency, ratifying Rio treaties, and reforming international financial and trade institutions.
• The document argues that while globalization has stimulated economic growth, it has also caused uneven distribution of gains, increased pollution, and heightened pressure on natural resources, which can lead to social conflict and violence.

APA

Adams, J., Blackwelder, B., Blake, R. O., Brown, L., Clapp, P. E., Dayton, C. K., Dobson, C., Epstein, M., Flavin, C., Fuller, K., Futrell, J. W., Gelobter, M., Greenfield, S., Hayes, D., Hayes, R., Hubbell, S., O’Keefe, D., Krupp, F., Langenberg, D. N., ... Zaelke, D. (2002). The Johannesburg Summit 2002: A Call for Action. Center for International Environmental Law. https://www.ciel.org/news/ciel-and-other-groups-call-on-president-bush-to-attend-upcoming-world-summit-on-sustainable-development/

Chicago

Adams, John, Brent Blackwelder, Robert O. Blake, Lester Brown, Philip E. Clapp, Charles K. Dayton, Chad Dobson, et al. The Johannesburg Summit 2002: A Call for Action. Center for International Environmental Law, 2002. https://www.ciel.org/news/ciel-and-other-groups-call-on-president-bush-to-attend-upcoming-world-summit-on-sustainable-development/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Adams |first1=John |last2=Blackwelder |first2=Brent |last3=Blake |first3=Robert O. |last4=Brown |first4=Lester |last5=Clapp |first5=Philip E. |last6=Dayton |first6=Charles K. |last7=Dobson |first7=Chad |last8=Epstein |first8=Mark |last9=Flavin |first9=Christopher |display-authors=etal |title=The Johannesburg Summit 2002: A Call for Action |publisher=Center for International Environmental Law |date=1 February 2002 |url=https://www.ciel.org/news/ciel-and-other-groups-call-on-president-bush-to-attend-upcoming-world-summit-on-sustainable-development/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{adams2002johannesburg, author = {Adams, John and Blackwelder, Brent and Blake, Robert O. and Brown, Lester and Clapp, Philip E. and Dayton, Charles K. and Dobson, Chad and Epstein, Mark and Flavin, Christopher and Fuller, Kathryn and Futrell, J. William and Gelobter, Michel and Greenfield, Stanley and Hayes, Denis and Hayes, Randy and Hubbell, Stephen and O’Keefe, Danny and Krupp, Fred and Langenberg, Donald N. and Marsh, Langdon and McCormick, Steve and Molina, Mario and Moore, Monica and Musil, Robert K. and Pace, William R. and Passacantando, John and Pope, Carl and Pulliam, Stephen and Van Putten, Mark and Radford, Philip D. and O’Regan, Fred and Ritchie, Mark and Roady, Stephen E. and Rogers, Kathleen and Speth, James Gustave and Stang, Robert B. and Swartz, Daniel and Wirth, Wren and Wise, John and Woodwell, George M. and Zaelke, Durwood}, title = {{The Johannesburg Summit 2002: A Call for Action}}, publisher = {Center for International Environmental Law}, year = {2002}, month = feb, url = {https://www.ciel.org/news/ciel-and-other-groups-call-on-president-bush-to-attend-upcoming-world-summit-on-sustainable-development/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }