PINCs -- Partnerships, Initiatives, Networks, and Coalitions -- are a key element of the "new architecture" for a "new world" that Hillary Clinton called for in her farewell speech as secretary of state.

What Rio+20 has demonstrated is that we can no longer stand by and wait for world leaders to provide solutions to prevent us from reaching the tipping point, or point of no return.

On Friday afternoon, the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development convened. Dubbed Rio+20, the conference was the largest UN summit ever held and marked the 20-year anniversary of the original Earth Summit also held in Rio.

What do mushrooms, tires and soda bottles have in common? They are all being used, recycled or even upcycled through innovative programs that prevent waste from entering the environment.

Already low expectations for the Rio+20 Sustainable Development Conference of the United Nations fell through the ocean floor in the last several days. The mood here is as gray as the Brazilian winter. People are taking to calling this "Rio -", not "Rio+."

Ocean ecosystems and health have been in a state of decline for quite some time, but we have not appreciated or acknowledged how this decline will affect future generations' access to food, livelihoods, safe coastal places to live, cultural identity and other benefits.

As world leaders meet in Rio to develop an environmental agenda for the next 20 years, there are lessons from the history of the FSC that should inform the decisions they make.

Among the countries weakening the text was that former environmental leader: Canada. But inspiration also comes from Canada.

Here at Rio+20, it's clearer than ever that we all must play our part to protect our oceans and the planet. Whether you work in government, business, or civil society, we all must make decisions today that will create the future we want.

A "Twitter storm" raged on the Internet as hundreds of thousands of people around the world -- including EU commissioner for climate action Connie Hedegaard and celebrities such as NRDC trustee Robert Redford -- flooded the Web with #EndFossilFuelSubsidies tweets.

Rio+20 is a historic chance to move away from business-as-usual and end environmental destruction, reduce poverty, jumpstart the green economy and chart a course to a sustainable future. But the outlook is bleak.

"I have this feeling that we're never going to lose. We're going to win; it's just going to take a while. This is all just part of a large, long haul and the world is a complicated place. I mean, we've been using fossil fuels now for hundreds of years. It's going to take a few years to get off of it."

We should not be subsidizing the destruction of our planet. Fossil fuels are literally cooking our planet, polluting our air and draining our wallets. Why should we continue to reward companies to do that?

What if I told you that governments around the world were spending almost $1 trillion dollars a year to subsidize activities that are driving global warming?

I now have even greater hope that this Earth Summit will be important and historic. But we will have to be able to see how much has changed since the 1992 summit and what is really going on in Rio and the world.

We know how to fish better, reduce pollution, and revive marine life. The question is: will we put these solutions in place? Will our leaders do what it takes to scale up smart strategies and set real, lasting recovery in motion?

U.N. secretary general Ban Ki-moon made a personal appeal to Barack Obama to attend the Rio Earth Summit, saying his presence would be critical to the summit's success.

When it comes to climate change and other environment challenges, Mitt Romney can plead ignorance, even if it's feigned. But what about President Obama?

From ending destructive fishing practices in international waters to curbing marine plastic pollution, there is no limit to what we can do if we work toward solutions together.

Yesterday thousands of people "connected the dots" as they rally around the world to highlight the profound link between extreme weather and human induced climate change.

This June, in Rio de Janeiro, more than 120 presidents and prime ministers will get together for a meeting with much at stake for every person on our planet -- and future generations.

The idea that we can build a strong economy while improving our environment is seen as pure fantasy. Of course, the real fiction lies in thinking you can ignore environmental impacts and carry on with slash and burn economics forever.