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Reusing air conditioning condensation to water plants and clean. Repurposing advertising banners into fashionable tote bags. Recycling used cooking oil to power generators at a hospital. Today, McDonald's Corp. (NYSE: MCD) celebrates these and dozens more examples of passion and innovation in the 2012 Global Best of Green report.

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.

“Frosts are (now) more frequent and last longer. The sun burns harder,” says Arapa. “Before (washed) clothes took two days to dry, now just one day.”

Eddy Wilber Ramos, an agronomist and Gomel Apaza’s assistant, says tougher times mean “there are dozens of families who are migrating from these areas because they are no longer able to tolerate the climate conditions in which they must work.”

Some farmers also argue that the Green Revolution brought with it a competitive, individualist model for farming which weakened cooperation among farmers.

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.

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.