The world faces old and new security challenges that are more complex than our multilateral and national institutions are currently capable of managing. Publics around the world remain focused on material standards of living; leaders are reluctant to expend political capital on longterm, global risk issues; multilateral ‘bandwidth’ remains low; in many cases it is unclear what solutions would look like. With these blockages still in place, there is a real risk that Rio 2012 could be a damp squib. To avoid this fate, it needs to place unsustainability squarely at the center of larger debates about globalisation and the global economy – in particular by focusing on three key areas: 1. Greening growth; 2. Equity ina aworld of limits; 3. Building resilience to shocks and stresses.