Gray is the theory, but green is the tree of life.

• Position: 1995 Earth Summit +5

An eleventh hour compromise at "Earth Summit +5", held in New York from 23 to 27 June, just managed to keep hopes alive that countries might yet agree to a legally binding timetable of cuts in greenhouse gases when they meet in Kyoto, Japan, in December for the third climate change conference.

The General Assembly's Special Session--intended to move forward the global commitments to sustainable development adopted in 1992 at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in Rio--instead ended in New York in the early hours of 28 June, with only one clear consensus: in the five years since Rio, the planet's health is generally worse than ever and the "Spirit of Rio" is in serious jeopardy.

Earth Summit +5--dubbed by some of "Rio Minus 5"--ended after contentious negotiations, characterized by conflicting interests among and between developed and developing countries, about core issues of sustainable development. In the end, while world leaders did not adopt a proposed political statement, they did agree on a final document that look small steps forward on a number of general goals, including combating climate change, forest loss and freshwater scarcity, but which also disappointed many by containing few new concrete commitments on future action.

This competing interests were all but acknowledged in the final text, which said there is "already widespread but not universal agreement that it will be necessary to consider legally binding, meaningful, realistic and equitable targets" for developed countries that would result in "significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions within specified time frames, such as 2005, 2010 and 2020". In addition to establishing targets, the document said it would be necessary to consider ways and means for achieving them and to take into account the economic, adverse environmental and other effects of such response measures on all countries, particularly developing countries.

With no integral breakthroughs, delegates had to be satisfied with general goals and few concrete actions. Sustainable development remains an uphill battle.

Razali Ismail of Malaysia, President of the fifty-first session and the Special Session of the General Assembly, in a wrap-up press conference, called the results "sobering" and said these pointed to "the enormous difficulties of overcoming short-term and vested interests that would enable concrete commitments to specific targets and to global programmes. Our words have not been matched by deeds." In having recognized this lack of progress, "this special session will at least go down as an honest attempt to appraise the implementation of Agenda 21", the plan of action that emerged from Rio, he said.

During the plenary, speakers underlined the importance of a development process that is sustainable, equitable and that protects the environment for present and future generations. According to Mr. Razali: "We have reaffirmed the continuing vitality and relevance of the agreements reached at Rio. And for the first time, non-governmental organizations stood alongside Governments in the General Assembly as partners in our task of implementing sustainable development. There was a clear acknowledgment by all who took part that progress to operationalize sustainable development remains insufficient."

The President, who intervened personally in the final negotiations, cited as important conclusions of the special session "a reassertion of the need to support efforts of developing countries to achieve sustainable development through means of international cooperation. This includes an appeal to intensify efforts to reverse the declining trend in official development assistance...