"Like no other generation before, we can choose the type of future that we will leave to the next generation. A transition to a safe and prosperous future is possible, but will require the full use of humanity’s extraordinary capacity for innovation and creativity... Tinkering at the edges will not do the job."

Gro Harlem Brundtland writes in the International Herald Tribune as world leaders gather for the Rio+20 summit on sustainable development.

As the UN Secretary-General’s High-level Panel on Global Sustainability releases its report, The Elders urge political, business and civil society leaders around the world to take bold actions to build a more equitable and sustainable world for us all.

"The fact that the Durban Platform deal has a target of 2015 is, at last, recognition of the urgency of the issue facing us."

Mary Robinson expresses her relief at the outcome of the Durban Climate Change Conference, and calls for ambition to move the world towards more sustainable and inclusive growth.

"We are alarmed that the expectations for the Durban climate change conference are so low."

In an article published by Al Jazeera, Mary Robinson and Archbishop Desmond Tutu urge political leaders to agree on a new legal framework to cut greenhouse gas emissions.

Kofi Annan writes in Uganda's Daily Monitor that African farmers are already suffering the effects of climate change. He argues that the Green Climate Fund to be launched at the Durban climate conference could be crucial for investing in "a uniquely African Green Revolution."

"The poor countries most vulnerable to the floods, droughts, storms and other extreme weather associated with climate change need help now."

With the eurozone crisis dominating the global agenda, Mary Robinson argues in the Guardian that G20 leaders should ensure their response to the economic storm addresses the coming climate crisis.

In an interview with Aide Edemariam from The Guardian, Mary Robinson describes her life and work - as a child growing up in County Mayo, Ireland; as a young senator and later first female President of Ireland; as the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights; and as a member of The Elders and the founder of a new organisation campaigning for climate justice.

Writing in the South China Morning Post and the New Straits Times, Desmond Tutu and Mary Robinson warn that the world can’t afford any more political procrastination on climate change.

Kofi Annan and Nicholas Stern argue that African governments need to decide how they will adapt their economies and protect their people from the effects of climate change, and that they must set out what they expect the international community to do to support them. This article first appeared in The Guardian.

Observing that tackling climate change requires imagination, political will and vision, Fernando Henrique Cardoso argues why today's leaders must repeat their predecessors' success in Rio de Janeiro by forging a new global climate treaty in Copenhagen. This article first appeared in The Huffington Post.