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Organisation of Islamic Cooperation
Fossil Fuels and Sustainable Development
Overview
Casual readers who associate oil production and sales with Arab states might be unaware
of—and surprised to learn about—the Islamic Declaration on Global Climate Change,
http://islamicclimatedeclaration.org/islamic-declaration-on-global-climate-change/. At the twoday International Islamic Climate Change Symposium in Istanbul in 2015, 60 Islamic leaders
from around the world gathered and published the declaration calling upon officials to tackle the
problem of climate change. The meeting took place before the Paris Climate Change Conference,
which generated an agreement on strategy for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and curbing
global warming. The Islamic leaders in Istanbul called for Muslim countries to make firm
commitments to renewable energy “as early as possible” and for decision-makers to “re-focus
their concerns from unethical profit from the environment, to that of preserving it and elevating
the condition of the world’s poor.” The declaration makes a moral case for taking concerted
action on climate change and includes quotes from the Quran to underscore the importance of
Muslims’ support for that effort.
One forum in which Muslim political leaders can explore the possibility of cooperative
action to address climate change and innovative plans for sustainable development is the
Organisation for Islamic Cooperation. Because many OIC member states depend on fossil fuel
production and refinement for revenue, and because all OIC member states consume fossil fuels
for energy, the cause is a sensitive one. But with global pressure growing out of the Paris
Agreement, and with an upcoming climate change conference in the so-called “Muslim world”—
in Marrakesh, Morocco in November 2016—this is a pivotal moment for OIC member states. As
you weigh the costs and benefits of continued reliance on fossil fuels and consider the
advantages and disadvantages of moving toward renewable and alternative sources of energy in
your country and in the Ummah, the transnational community of Muslim people, imagine what
might be accomplished if the OIC can rally its members to common cause. Can the Muslim
community of nations and peoples serve as a global leader on the issue of sustainable
development in the face of climate change? Use this guide to help inform your thinking, and
work with delegates from other OIC member states to work toward shared solutions to this slowmoving but very serious crisis.
Historical Background
With the development of fossil fuels, the lifestyles of many people became fundamentally
altered. Becoming a fundamental source of energy beginning in the late eighteenth century, fossil
fuels are marked by one quality posing a risk to continued development, both economic and
social, of many nations: they cannot undergo a process of rapid renewal. With the burning of
fossil fuels to generate energy, carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere, trapping more
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infrared radiation. In this respect, carbon dioxide has a warming effect on the environment by
trapping in infrared radiation and therefore raising global temperatures. Though the effects of
this pattern have yet to be entirely felt throughout the world, many places of the world have
recorded unusually-high temperatures in a consistent fashion over prolonged periods of time,
leading to warmer winters and even warmer summers on average. Many analysts and experts of
climate change generally agree that human activity ranks as a primary reason for such change,
itself largely brought on by carbon emissions as a result of the consumption of fossil fuels.
A majority of oil field discoveries were undertaken via patterns typical of European
colonialism: in 1908, a discovery in Iran by under the auspices of the British Empire, and shortly
thereafter piped down to a seemingly-negligible Shatt al-Arab. Soon after this discovery, war
quickly broke out between the British, Germans and Ottomans to see who would ultimately have
control of such a strategic area. The British ultimately won, and this conflict established many
precedents in regards to future oil discovery and production, such as the notion that oil would
become quite profitable and those able to discover it and sell it would be in a much more
advantageous position than those unable to do so. This led to the rise of power in the British and
French at the expense of the Germans, and would have a tremendous factor in the outcome of
World Wars I and II.
After World War II, decolonization swept through North Africa and the Middle East,
where large deposits of oil exist. As a result, European powers lost their direct access to oil, but
did not lose the opportunity to benefit from it: newly-independent states found the opportunity to
sell oil to Western economies – overwhelmingly more powerful in terms of monetary output than
those in North Africa and the Middle East at the time – and receive huge rewards. For certain
states, such as Qatar, the results of such a progression have become clear: according to statistics
compiled by the United Nations, the GDP per capita of Qatar was estimated to be $93,714.06 in
2013, nearly six-hundred percent of the global average. Meanwhile, in nearby states such as
Saudi Arabia, the GDP of that state was estimated to be $25,961.81 in the same year, both
numbers coming from the World Bank. Despite both economies having a huge reliance upon
petroleum, there exists a huge disparity between the standards of living between these two states,
to use them as an example.
While Western economies benefit from the refining of petroleum, as evidenced through
the proliferation of companies such as British Petroleum, Royal Dutch Shell, and Citgo, these
effects have ultimately started to create feelings of disparity and disarray amongst Arab
populations – both within and outside of conventional political borders - all the while increasing
temperatures in what seems to be an unsustainable future. How will the states comprising the
Organisation of Islamic Cooperation ultimately tackle this issue?
In order to tackle this issue, each delegate in the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation
must take the following questions into consideration:
1. Does your member state acknowledge the existence of climate change?
2. Does your member state acknowledge the effect of fossil fuels on climate change?
3. How crucially important are fossil fuels to the economic well-being of your member state?
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What are Fossil Fuels?
The definition of a fossil fuel is quite simple, and there are many qualities of a fossil fuel
which distinguish them from their renewable counterparts. One of the most important
distinctions of a fossil fuel when compared to other sources of energy comes with the fact that
they are not renewable, which means that the rate at which fossil fuels are being used drastically
exceeds the rates at which they are being replaced. Fossil fuels took many years – millions of
years – to form, resulting in areas of coal deposits, oil deposits, etc. scattered around the earth.
Fossil fuels are also the remains of dead organisms, which underwent a prolonged phase of
compaction to drastically change shape. Because of this organic component to fossil fuels, fossil
fuels contain carbon, an element required to sustain lifeforms. The formation of different fossil
fuels is largely the outcome of the process in which organic substances underwent a process of
decomposition. For example, coal is a solid and natural gas is a liquid and both release carbon
dioxide when burned.
Aisha, 11, carries coal to be used for cooking and heating from a brick-making factory in Jalalabad, Afghanistan, on Dec. 17,
2013. | Image credit: REUTERS/Parwiz
Source: www.sustainablebrands.com
Deposits of fossil fuels are scattered all over the world, and in respect to this organization, oil
remains the most important of them all. The largest known deposits are generally located in the
Middle East, where estimates believe that over half of the world’s oil comes from oil wells
located there.
For more on this area, please refer to the following sources:
http://geoscience.wisc.edu/~chuck/Geo106/lect24.html
http://www.eesi.org/topics/fossil-fuels/description
http://www.worldatlas.com/articles/countries-the-most-dependent-on-fossil-fuels.html
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What is Sustainable Development?
In order to define sustainable development, one must engender some sort of controversy:
there is no unified definition of sustainable development because not everyone thinks that
sustainable development is an outright necessity. But a general consensus comes with
acknowledging that sustainable development comes with the acknowledgment that sustainable
development largely takes into consideration the needs for present generations and future
generations. Or, as put by the International Institute for Sustainable Development, “Sustainable
development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the
ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” To this end, the concept of sustainable
development encompasses two crucial ideas:
•
Needs. Preference in respect to needs should be given to the poor, as they are often the
ones lacking access to basic infrastructure such as healthcare and education and need
more to sustain a reasonable standard of living not only measure materialistically but also
through education and life expectancy.
•
Limitations. Not all wants can be satisfied, but the needs for future generations – as well
as present generations – can be met. The environment is not infinite, and therefore our
expectations of it should fit accordingly.
For more information regarding the International Institute for Sustainable Development – an
excellent source when it comes to gathering information regarding sustainable development –
please visit http://www.iisd.org/topic/sustainable-development.
See also:
UN Sustainable Development Knowledge Platform: Energy
https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/topics/energy
Sustainable Development in the Middle East (Middle East Institute)
http://www.mei.edu/content/sustainable-development-and-built-environment-middle-east-challenges-and-opportunities
OPEC and OAPEC
OPEC and OAPEC are abbreviations of "Organisation of Petroleum-Exporting
Countries" and "Organisation of Arab Petroleum-Exporting Countries," respectively. Though
these two organizations have some overlap in membership and their concentration being
emphasized upon petroleum-exporting countries, it is important to make a distinction between
these two organizations due to separate histories.
OPEC was formed in 1960 with five states meeting in Baghdad to discuss the stability of
oil prices and matters relating to the state in regards to oil production. In 1965, the headquarters
moved to Vienna, Austria, where it has since remained. Since its creation, its mission statement
has been “to coordinate and unify the petroleum policies of its Member Countries and ensure the
stabilization of oil markets in order to secure an efficient, economic and regular supply of
petroleum to consumers, a steady income to producers and a fair return on capital for those
investing in the petroleum industry.” For more information regarding its mission statement,
please visit http://www.opec.org/opec_web/en/about_us/23.htm.
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Since its creation, OPEC has expanded to where it now includes fourteen member states:
Algeria, Angola, Ecuador, Gabon, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Nigeria, Qatar, Saudi
Arabia, United Arab Emirates, and Venezuela. As a result, the competencies of OPEC vary
SELECTEDMEMBERSTATESOFOPEC.Notpictured,butmembersofOPEC,areAngola,Ecuador,andGabon.
differently from those given to the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation due to some member
states of OPEC not having majorities of citizens who adhere to Islam. Such an example of an
OPEC member state falling in this category is Venezuela. But OPEC does have considerable
overlap with OIC, and OPEC members maintains considerable influence on key issues in the
Muslim community.
OAPEC was formed later than OPEC, as Libya, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia drafted an
agreement in Beirut in 1968. Since this agreement, the membership in OAPEC has grown and
declined, with such states as Tunisia being a part of this organization in the past but choosing to
withdraw from said organization for different reasons. Regardless of present or former
affiliation, the OAPEC has prided itself on “recognizing the role of Petroleum as a principal and
basic source of its members' income,” in the words of the organization itself. The organization
goes on to state that “OAPEC is concerned with the development and prosperity of the world
petroleum industry by fostering close and fruitful cooperation among its members.” In order to
meet these goals, OAPEC has been designed around four principal bodies which shape the policy
of the organization: The Council of Ministers (not to be confused with other entities also called
“Council of Ministers”), The Executive Bureau, The General Secretariat, and The Judicial Board.
For more information regarding the roles each of these aspects of OAPEC provides – in addition
to a general history of OAPEC – please visit http://www.oapecorg.org/Home/About-Us/History.
Currently, all states belonging to OAPEC also belong to OPEC, and there are seven
OAPEC members: Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Libya, Iraq, United Arab Emirates, Algeria, and Qatar.
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All of these states have religious unity to the extent that a majority of citizens in all seven
OAPEC member states adhere to Islam. The similarities in respect to religious sects of Islam can
differ greatly, with certain sects having animosities and rivalries with other sects.
There are some states belonging to the OIC which are neither a part of OPEC or OAPEC.
It is the duty of individual delegates to research the international affiliations of their respective
member states in regards to their affiliation with OPEC, OAPEC, or neither. It is also the duty of
individual delegates to determine how their involvement in these organisations – or the lack
thereof – shall shape and ultimately determine their stance towards this topic of fossil fuels and
sustainable development.
For more information regarding the nature of both of these organizations, please refer to
their websites: http://www.opec.org/opec_web/en/ and http://www.oapecorg.org/Home.
Fossil Fuels and Sects of Islam
Within the religion of Islam, there exist three major sects of Islam in regards to OPEC
and OAPEC: Sunni, Shia, and Wahabbism. These three sects have shaped the policies of
individual states with an Islamic majority in different ways, with some states naturally wanting
to cooperate with others and butt head with others all on the basis of religious affiliation. This
has manifested itself previously in wars waged between Iraq and Iran and the more-modern
instability of Syria, itself largely speculated as a consequnece of religious affiliations, the
technical leader of Syria (Bashar al-Assad) an adherent to Shia Islam much like a majority of the
population of Iran - according to some estimates, upwards of ninety percent of the Iranian
population. This has naturally made Iran and Syria close allies. However, this has generated
tensions with other non-Shia states, all of which has manifested itself through different
allegiances in the conflict plaguing Syria.
The expansion of oil production in Saudi Arabia has made Wahabbism increasingly
prevalent not only in Saudi Arabia, but in fellow OPEC and OAPEC member states, as well. In
an interview conducted by PBS: Frontline with Mai Yamani, an anthropologist specializing
specifically in Saudi Arabia, Yamani offered the following perspective of Wahabbism in respect
to its recent surge in popularity: “I think that the new mood, the new trend, especially after the
Gulf War, has become for all these neo-Wahhabis ... [is to use] Islam ... as a platform for
political ideas and activities, using Islam to legitimize political, economic, social behavior. These
people have been brought up in a country where Islam legitimizes everything. And they have
used the teachings from the religious establishment, but became more political in expressing
dissent and criticism of the regime.” In this respect, it is clear to note that the Wahabbist
monarchy presiding of Saudi Arabia clearly benefits from the expansion of oil production within
their state and it has had security repercussions for other neighboring states with Muslim
majorities whose states do not reflect a Wahabbist majority. For more information regarding this
interview, which also deals with other people having a relatively intimate experience with Saudi
Arabia and its politics, culture and economy, please visit the following link:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/saudi/analyses/wahhabism.html
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It is important to note that populations of all three sects exist to differing degrees in all
states represented in this council. However, some states have a clear affiliation with one sect of
Islam, making them more apt to cooperate with some and less apt to cooperate with others. Any
successful resolution regarding sustainable development and fossil fuels will have to possess the
capability to bridge these sects of Islam and find unity whilst not looking through the lens of
social cleavages.
Fossil Fuels and the Islamic State
The Islamic State has been a key element in the deterioration in the stability of the Syrian
and Iraqi nations. With the power of Bashar al-Assad becoming increasingly negligible outside
of the capital of Damascus, the Islamic State has effectively filled the power vacuum. Although
some sources have begun to speculate that the demise of the Islamic State has begun, some have
also begun to speculate that the rise of the Islamic State has been exacerbated through global
dependence on fossil fuels as a way to sustain a standard of living enjoyed throughout much of
the world. In short, many people postulate that engaging in oil markets in the Middle East has
allowed for the proliferation of activities organized by the Islamic State.
Many states in Western Europe and North
America have begun to feel the repercussions of the
ideology of the Islamic State as evidenced through
attacks in Paris, France; San Bernardino, California; and
Orlando, Florida. Though these attacks have received
tremendous media coverage due to the relatively high
standards of living in Western Europe, the visibility of
comparable acts of terrorism in the Middle East remains
low, largely because of instability created towards the
ability of the media in Western Europe and North
America to cover these attacks accurately: a common
belief amongst the information community comes with
the notion that the risk of covering these attacks exceeds the benefit of such coverage.
But the tide against the Islamic State seems to be gradually turning, and people are
beginning to speculate that the influence exerted by the Islamic State in regards to oil production
in Syria and Iraq is beginning to diminish. In this respect, writer Tim Daiss with Forbes
Magazine analyzes the gradual demise of the Islamic State, especially around the Mosul area in
Iraq where the Islamic State previously controlled up to half of a dozen oil fields surrounding
such a populous area in Iraq. While Daiss continues to acknowledge that the Islamic State may
control up to a third of oil production in Syria, the actual output of oil on the behalf of the
Islamic State has decreased considerably in the past two years, from an estimated 400,000 barrels
to an estimated 40,000 in 2016. For more information regarding this development, please refer to
the following link:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/timdaiss/2016/08/26/why-islamic-states-oil-revenue-is-plunging/#ead0057603e7
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If the status quo with respect to the Islamic State remains in the future, much is left into
question as to how states both belonging to and not belonging to organisations like OPEC and
OAPEC will be able to continue to deal with the threat of a non-state actor yielding considerable
influence over regions belonging to recognized states of Syria and Iraq. In conjunction with
another topic to be discussed at this conference by this organization, it is of utmost importance to
consider your individual state's outlook upon the Islamic State whilst considering the
implications of its presence upon developments regarding sustainable development and the
benefit of fossil fuels.
What has been done?
An issue affecting this council comes with the fact that much initiative regarding
sustainable development has been completed by states in North America and Europe, the
economies of which widely surpass a majority of - but not all - states belonging to this
organization. Many European and North American economies are regarded as industrialized or
post-industrialized, being marked by a wide array of service-oriented industries which, though
dependent upon fossil fuels to sustain such a standard of living, largely do not engage in the
extraction of such commodities.
Furthermore, movements made to stray away from the dependence of many Middle
Eastern economies on fossil fuels - most notably, petroleum - have met very limited success.
This follows as a consequence of two pressing factors: some government economic schemes are
incredibly important on oil as a source of revenue and some industrialized nations have yet to
truly acknowledge that climate change exists, therefore not resulting in pressing inspiration to
truly act towards reconciling the need for economic sustainability. For example, nationalization
of petroleum extraction has resulted in governments making significant amounts of money off
petroleum deposits. While this has resulted in huge increase standards of living for those
involved in the nationalized industry, the consequences of such activities are largely twofold: (1)
such economies rely heavily upon oil for a backbone for their own national economies and (2) it
has resulted in huge disparities between those involved in the nationalized industry and those
who are not. An example taken into consideration comes with Iran, whose oil industry became
nationalized shortly after the 1979 Iranian Revolution after considerable years of influence from
the United Kingdom. This revolution has introduced some major concerns regarding the status of
human rights, and so a series of sanctions against Iran were imposed. However, although these
sanctions are beginning to be lifted, it is estimated that Iran will struggle to enter an oil market
which has largely been successful without their direct involvement for quite some time. For more
information regarding the speculation surrounding the sustainability of the Iranian economy and
its effects on human rights, please visit the following link for more information:
http://www.resourceinvestor.com/2016/04/22/real-problem-iranian-oil.
Yet some industrialized nations have made significant progress in acknowledging the
existence of climate change and its partial causes lying in the proliferation of fossil fuels. In this
respect, the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, or UNECE, has been crucial for
laying out a set of recommendations for the United Nations to recommend and potentially
implement. Among some of the recommendations, the UNECE recommends that member states:
•
•
Accept a broad array of fiscal instruments to encourage climate change solutions
Address capturing and storing carbon dioxide from all industrial sectors, including
cement, steel, chemicals, refining and power production
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•
Ensure that Governments work together to sponsor and support multiple demonstration
projects at scale
• Allow carbon dioxide injected into reservoirs for enhanced hydrocarbon recovery to be
treated and calculated as storage if stored permanently
The rationale behind these recommendations come with the idea that these recommendations will
not necessarily stigmatize countries whose economies rely heavily upon fossil fuels all the while
setting a goal towards greatly reducing such a reliance in the future. For more information
regarding this development and how it can impact the Organisation for Islamic Cooperation,
please visit https://unchronicle.un.org/article/role-fossil-fuels-sustainable-energy-system.
2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
Agenda 2030 has proven to be an effective way to manage consensus among United
Nations member states and the need to balance a economic development and a sustainable future.
According to the proposal, officially called the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development:
This Agenda is a plan of action for people, planet and prosperity. It also seeks
to strengthen universal peace in larger freedom. We recognize that
eradicating poverty in all its forms and dimensions, including extreme poverty,
is the greatest global challenge and an indispensable requirement for
sustainable development. All countries and all stakeholders, acting in
collaborative partnership, will implement this plan. We are resolved to free the
human race from the tyranny of poverty and want and to heal and secure our
planet. We are determined to take the bold and transformative steps which are
urgently needed to shift the world onto a sustainable and resilient path. As we
embark on this collective journey, we pledge that no one will be left behind.
The 17 Sustainable Development Goals and 169 targets which we are
announcing today demonstrate the scale and ambition of this new universal
Agenda. They seek to build on the Millennium Development Goals and
complete what these did not achieve. They seek to realize the human rights of
all and to achieve gender equality and the empowerment of all women and
girls. They are integrated and indivisible and balance the three dimensions of
sustainable development: the economic, social and environmental.
In order to achieve the above results, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development has
divided its goals into different sections. They are as follows, with commentary taken directly out
of the proposed sections from the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development itself:
•
People: “We are determined to end poverty and hunger, in all their forms and
dimensions, and to ensure that all human beings can fulfil their potential in dignity and
equality and in a healthy environment.”
•
Planet: “We are determined to protect the planet from degradation, including through
sustainable consumption and production, sustainably managing its natural resources and
taking urgent action on climate change, so that it can support the needs of the present and
future generations.”
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•
Peace: “We are determined to foster peaceful, just and inclusive societies which are free
from fear and violence. There can be no sustainable development without peace and no
peace without sustainable development.”
•
Prosperity: “We are determined to ensure that all human beings can enjoy prosperous
and fulfilling lives and that economic, social and technological progress occurs in
harmony with nature.”
•
Partnership: “We are determined to mobilize the means required to implement this
Agenda through a revitalised Global Partnership for Sustainable Development, based on a
spirit of strengthened global solidarity, focussed in particular on the needs of the poorest
and most vulnerable and with the participation of all countries, all stakeholders and all
people.”
For more information regarding the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, please
visit this link: https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/post2015/transformingourworld.
What options do we have?
An issue facing this council is that alternatives to fossil fuels have routinely been
explored in developed economies largely in Western Europe, North America, and increasingly
East Asia and Australia.
It is important to know that alternatives to fossil fuels are not inherently fool-proof, and
come with consequences of their own. For example, according to many studies done in respect to
wind energy, a negative consequence of the construction of wind turbines comes with the deaths
of birds, whose migratory patterns can be affected by the turbines due to their susceptibility to
damage wings and other parts of birds. Similarly, the construction of a hydroelectric dam can
result in the supplying of power without having to rely heavily upon fossil fuels, it can also
displace many people due to the flooding which may arise as a part of the dam’s construction
and potentially displace and kill off wildlife living in the area which could become filled with
water.
A majority of states located in the
Middle East are characterized by arid
climates. While this means that these areas
receive less rain when compared to places
like Buffalo, New York, it means that these
areas often have more days with sun on
average. One needs to only look at
precipitation records between Cairo, Egypt
and Buffalo, New York: according to various
sources, Cairo receives less than one inch of
rain per month, whereas Buffalo receives
over eight inches of rain per month on average. This makes solar energy more attractive for areas
much like Cairo, as the amount of sunlight receive there is plentiful. But there are some costs to
be aware of, such as the costs of photovoltaic cells which convert sunlight to electricity. This
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only takes care of some of the problem, but it is something. For more information regarding the
benefits and negatives of solar energy, please visit
In respect to satisfying the world’s need for fuels, various alternatives ranging from
biomass to liquid nitrogen to hydrogen have been explored. While some have met limited
success, there are some clear negative repercussions to some of these alternatives to petroleum.
For example, according to studies evaluating the effectiveness of hydrogen as a fuel, there still
exists a necessity to rely upon fossil fuels in order to separate the hydrogen molecules from the
oxygen molecules in water. Though hydrogen remains a relatively abundant resource, if we
retain the status quo in respect to hydrogen production as an alternative energy by using fossil
fuels, then we will not be able to separate these molecules. For information regarding the
benefits and negatives of research into hydrogen as an alternative to petroleum, please visit the
following website: http://thenextgalaxy.com/10-disadvantages-and-advantages-of-hydrogen-fuel-cells/.
Questions to Consider
Having taken into consideration everything discussed, as well as your own outside research and
ability to emulate the opinion of your member state, please take into consideration the following
questions:
1. Does your state depend on fossil fuels, either as a source of energy to fuel economic
activity, or as a source of revenue for your national economy and government?
a. What kinds of fossil fuels exist within your member state’s territory?
b. If you can find information regarding the extent to which deposits of fossil fuels
exist within your member state, how much (as an outright quantity, not expressed
as a percentage) of a deposit of each kind of fossil fuel exists in your member
state?
2. How sustainable is your member state’s consumption and production? Has it taken
action on climate change to support the needs of present and future generations?
3. Is your member state a member of OPEC? OAPEC? How does your member state
feel about OPEC and OAPEC? What about increases in fossil fuel production and
export from the United States? Explain your country’s position toward these oil
producers.
4. How peaceful is your member state? Is it currently involved in wars? If so, are these
wars occurring inside your borders or outside of them? How, if at all, are these wars
affecting your country’s economic development and/or dependence on fossil fuels?
5. How prosperous is your member state? What is the standard of living of your
member state? How much does this standard of living depend on fossil fuels, and
how much will it suffer if your country switches to more renewable, sustainable
sources of energy (or revenue)?
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6. To what extent do poverty and hunger exist in your member state? Compared to
other member states and the world average, are you in a worse position or better
position?
7. Are your country’s energy needs being met through fossil fuels? What proportion of
your country’s needs are met using alternative, more sustainable sources of energy?
8. Can the countries of the OIC work together to develop a shared stance on the
pursuit of sustainable development, despite differences on the concepts of global
warming and climate change?
9. What can the member states of the OIC do to work together to achieve sustainable
human development as the global community strives toward development goals?
Resources
World Oil Outlook (OPEC) [interactive]
http://woo.opec.org
Fossil Fuels Dominate Primary Energy Consumption (Worldwatch Institute)
http://www.worldwatch.org/fossil-fuels-dominate-primary-energy-consumption-1
The Hidden Costs of Fossil Fuels (Union of Concerned Scientists)
http://www.ucsusa.org/clean-energy/our-energy-choices/coal-and-other-fossil-fuels/hidden-cost-of-fossils
The Role of Fossil Fuels in a Sustainable Energy System (UN Chronicle)
https://unchronicle.un.org/article/role-fossil-fuels-sustainable-energy-system
Sustainable Development Goals (Islamic Relief Worldwide)
http://www.islamic-relief.org/sustainable-development-goals-adopted/
Islamic Finance Could Help In Meeting Sustainable Development Goals (Zawya)
https://www.zawya.com/story/Islamic_Finance_Could_Help_In_Meeting_Sustainable_Development_Goals-ZAWYA20160418063528/
Why climate change is a threat to human rights (Mary Robinson; TED talk)
http://www.ted.com/talks/mary_robinson_why_climate_change_is_a_threat_to_human_rights