Olimar Maisonet-Guzman (Courtesy Photo)

Olimar Maisonet-Guzman is a 2011 Boren Fellow to Brazil and a member of the SustainUS Youth Delegation that will participate in the Rio+20 Earth Summit. She is currently in Brazil studying water and energy policy, with a particular focus on hydropower development. She is interested in the social impacts of development and economic policies, particularly in Latin America and Asia. She also serves as a Rio+20 taskforce member for the UN CSD Major Group of Children and Youth.

Olimar is a self-proclaimed jet setter, and in her spare time she enjoys fencing.  Read her guest blog here!

Brazil will be the host of the 2012 Earth Summit (Rio+20).

In June of 2012, world leaders, civil society representatives and young people will meet in Rio de Janeiro to determine the future of sustainable development. The UN Rio+20 Conference on Sustainable Development, better known as the Earth Summit, will seek to renew political commitment for sustainable development, and to assess the progress of past Earth Summits.

Why is Rio+20 important to me? Besides the two main themes of the conference: poverty eradication and the green economy, other complex issues will be discussed at the summit. One of my favorite topics, the water-energy-food security nexus will be a central part of these discussions. So, what is this nexus?

For me, one of today’s main challenges is providing clean water, food, and electricity to a growing population. The water-energy-food security nexus proposes an integrated understanding of natural resources and the improvement of policy coordination across these sectors. Land and water are needed to grow food. Energy is also needed to process and distribute food to us, the consumers. Water is needed for the production of electricity, so we can cook our meals. This is especially true for Latin America, where most of the electricity comes from hydropower.

The expected population growth for Latin America is close to one percent by 2030. Most of this growth will happen in urban centers. For Sao Paulo, one of Latin America’s most crowded cities, annual growth rate is estimated at four percent. Inevitably, population growth in cities will increase the demand for energy, water and food. However, if not managed carefully, these demands will have damaging ecological impacts in the Amazon region, Latin America’s most important source of food, energy and biodiversity.

A complex challenge requires creative and inter-disciplinary solutions. New policies such as “integrated-management of water, energy and agriculture” will facilitate solutions that promote a better quality of life for future generations. Rio+20 will provide leaders and stakeholders the opportunity to create policy frameworks that incorporate the nexus approach in our sustainability discourse. However, leaders still need to know why issues such as the nexus are important to us. We as future generations will carry the consequences of their policy decisions.

Why is Youth important? Why are YOU important?

The participation of all stakeholders is necessary to make Rio+20 a successful event. More than half of the world’s population is under 25 years old and young people are the most vulnerable to water, energy, economic and climate crises. Consequently, it is important that our voice is included in the Rio+20 debates, either in the form of official youth delegates or through youth consultations.

Internationally, the UN Major Group of Children and Youth seeks to facilitate youth efforts and participation within the Rio+20 and other major UN processes. In the United States, SustainUS, is preparing a delegation of energetic young individuals to participate in the Rio+20 events. In Brazil, Rede da Juventude pelo Meio Ambiente e Sustentabilidade, is also preparing a youth delegation to take part of the Earth Summit.

It is not too late to take action. During the upcoming months, regional and intersessional preparatory meetings will take place around the globe to discuss the potential outcomes of the Earth Summit. There will be opportunities for the youth voices to be heard. To learn more about these opportunities and share information about the upcoming UN Conference on Sustainable Development, join the Rio+20 Youth Space: http://www.youthcaucus.net/rioplus20.  Feel free to contact me if you want to know how to take a more active role.