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More than 55,000 people from around the world and all walks of life are attending the summit. Some 130 world leaders are expected to participate in three-days of high-level talks opening June 20 that will result in a outcome document on sustainable development.

Rio+20 marks the 20th anniversary of the original UN Earth Summit in Rio, where countries agreed to a roadmap for environmental protection, economic growth, and social equity known as Agenda 21.

"The planet is running out of time - yet leaders are answering with weak words that don't even come close to the kind of commitments we need to ensure people everywhere have access to clean water, food, and energy," said Jim Leape, director general of WWF International.

Reports quoting documents leaked ahead of the summit suggest that countries will be asked to sign up to 10 separate goals. These could include a deal on protecting oceans, the establishment of a powerful global agency for the environment, financial support to encourage sustainability for poorer nations and the appointment of an ecological high commissioner.

Realistically, the best that can be hoped for is that Rio +20 will be the start of a process that leads to some or all of these goals being met. Few expect hard and fast policies to be put in place after three days of discussion and the likelihood is that participants will sign up to a document committing themselves to further action in the future.

There are also numerous sticking points. Wealthy and poorer nations are likely to argue over sharing the burden of cutting carbon emissions. There have been concerns over the exclusion of references to basic human rights, such as access to water. Environmental monitoring methods are also expected to spark dissent.

Aquaculture is the fastest growing food sector in the world, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, with 90 per cent of production coming from the developing world, where it makes a significant contribution to many nations' economies.

Proposals set out at the beginning, such as providing universal energy access and doubling renewables by 2030, were left on the cutting-room floor.

Conservation International Vice President Carlos Manuel Rodríguez said he was encouraged that Scandinavian leaders pledged support for systems that would place an economic value on clean waterways, intact forests and other important ecosystems.

Grenada announced its transport and electricity sectors will use only clean-energy sources by 2030; Unilever promised to cut its greenhouse-gas emissions in half by 2020.

Turok pointed out that the mechanisms proposed for achieving the green economy — including markets and pricing, government subsidies and regulation, government investment, capacity building, and stakeholder partnerships and collaboration — contradicted each other.

"If African countries don't [value and deploy their natural resources] they will have more foreigners grabbing their assets."

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The text "has too much 'take note' and 'reaffirm' and too little 'decide' and 'commit'. (The) big task now for U.N. nations to follow up" on this, she added.

Expectations were low for the summit because politicians' attention is more focused on the euro zone crisis, a presidential election in the United States and turmoil in the Middle East than on the environment

The draft text omitted a clause calling for governments to phase out fossil fuel subsidies, which have nearly tripled since 2009, despite a pledge by G20 countries to eliminate them.

A United Nations Development Program Report of 2008 states that 83% of people who die due to impacts brought about by climate change disasters are women. Women and men are affected in different ways because of the different socio-cultural structure of their roles.

The 2009 State of Uganda Population Report focusing on 'addressing the effects of climate change on migration patterns and women' recognized that women in developing countries like Uganda produce 60% to 80% of food, and are also responsible for collecting firewood and water. This links women primarily to natural resources and if these resources like water are affected due to climate change then women are most likely to suffer. The Report states that 70% of the world's poor are women with most of them becoming the victims of climate change impacts.