Rio+20 blog: Business Is the Optimist This Time Around Twenty years ago, the turnout for the UN Conference on Environment and Development, now known as the Rio Earth Summit, seemed enormous, a record breaking 20,000 people. Business had a near token presence at the Rio Summit in 1992. Not so at Rio+20. (Source: Michos Tzovaras) Of those, a relatively small handful from business were on hand, perhaps 50 or so, cautious and out of their element, in what was a visionary and pioneering discussion of new possibilities for synergy across economic and environmental policies globally. This morning, as Rio+20 gets under way we anticipate over 60,000 participants from government and NGOs, with the largest groups being those which represent business, such as the International Chamber of Commerce which registered 2,000-plus to participate. Having been among the small group of business people in Rio then, and anticipating the crowds of business people who will be on hand here, I ask myself: what has changed? Why are business people here in such numbers, particularly when faced with naysaying predictions in the press and the political challenges that have dogged this process? Where can the outcomes of this meeting in Rio, which over 100 heads of state have committed to attend, add value for business? Green Economy The starting point in responding to those questions lies in the organizing principle of this huge event: "green economy". Quite aside from the definitional debate over what exactly a "green" economy consists of, business believes that