 Ifound myself in Monaco last week at talks about a 2012 global summit on the "green economy", just as George Osborne, the chancellor, was making his autumn statement, with its radically un-green promises not to burden industry with social and environmental goals, its let-offs for high energy users, its continued attack on the planning system and its undertaking to review EU protections for the habitats of newts, bats and migratory birds.  I might have been persuaded that this dirty onslaught was necessary given the state of the economy had I not noticed the striking contrast between the aspirational thinking going on at the meeting hosted by Monaco - a small euro nation that might have been forgiven for being wholly preoccupied with the "debt storm" - and what was happening at home.  Just as striking was the large part played in the dialogue by developing countries such as China, Brazil, Colombia and Mexico about how the world's economy should grow out of recession. "We had to drag the north European countries to the table," one organiser told me. The United States was preoccupied, though it will engage next year. "The leadership and vision is coming from the south," he added. That is a sign of the times.  'a COMMITMENT TO We were in Monaco because a Brazilian president, in 2007, had invited world leaders to Rio de Janeiro to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Earth Summit in June 2012, and to review progress in dealing with global problems. a series of meetings were set up to draft an agreement that they could sign next year under the heading of the "green economy". Some of the most interesting proposals at Rio+20 - labelled "sustainable development goals" - have been put forward by Colombia and Guatemala. Some of the most interesting ideas GREEN SPENDING IS CLEaREST IN THE EaST, NOT THE WEST' about making the world's top companies report on their environmental impact come from Mexico and from a coalition of 50 companies led by the UK insurance giant aviva. So far, meetings on how to make the world's economy greener have been hosted by Monaco, Germany (four times), India and China.  What has Britain done? Britain was asked to do three things: to send David Cameron to Rio+20 next summer; to host a meeting on its themes; and to appoint a UK "green ambassador" for the summit. So far the "greenest government ever" has done none of those things. Caroline Spelman, the environment secretary, to whom I spoke last week, still holds out the possibility that Cameron might go. Spelman is sceptical of the proposal for a new "UN Environment Organisation", which the EU has already agreed unanimously. as a Brit, I find this disconnection from the global conversation worrying.  The UK did not send anyone to the Monaco meeting on the "blue economy" (which focused on our depleted oceans). Some of the organisers were British, and a retired British official was present, but given our many overseas and maritime interests, it was a poor show. Where only 20 years ago we were a world leader, we are now Little Britain.  The commitment to making economies more green is most evident in the spending plans of the East, not West. South Korea allocated 84% of a stimulus package last year to green recovery measures - renewable technology, urban transport, water and so on - China allocated 33%, the US 12% (though i 