Rio+20 tackles sustainable development

Global powers convene at the Rio +20 U.N. conference to try to determine a sustainable pathway for global development.

A draft text prepared by diplomats this week laid out global aspirations, rather than mandatory goals, on issues like food security, water and energy.

The U.N. announced that more than 50 governments have launched new energy strategies while private investors have pledged more than $50 billion to global renewable energy initiatives.

Greenpeace activists raised a huge polar bear balloon next to Rio's iconic Christ the Redeemer statue, calling for a U.N. resolution that would establish a global sanctuary in the Arctic, banning oil drilling and unsustainable fishing.

Meanwhile, Brazil and China signed a handful of trade agreements aimed at boosting investment and commerce flows for the coming decade.

Sarah Sheffer, Reuters