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Haganum Model United Nations Gymnasium Haganum, The Hague Research Reports United Nations Framework Convention for Climate Change The question of climate impact on poor and vulnerable people 10th, 11th and12th of March 2017 Haganum Model United Nations 2017| 10th of March – 12th of March 2017 Forum: United Nations Framework Convention for Climate Change Issue: The question of climate impacts on poor and vulnerable people Student Officer: Katrien Nivera Position: President Introduction Climate change and climate impact have been two issues people have been dealing with since industrialisation increased in the 1900s, however the effects of industrialisation have been ignored until very recently. Climate is the average weather in a country or region over long periods of time, a larger scale of the weather in a country. Since the beginning of the 20th century, our climate has slowly been evolving due to increased levels of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, after burning fossil fuels for energy. Climate change can be identified through a number of effects such as global warming, an increase in soil and rain acidification, ocean acidification, rise in sea level and more. Each country is affected by these issues differently and to a different extent, however those living in developing countries may encounter harsher effects for several reasons. Many people living in developing countries may be unaware of this problem, and may not know they are contributing to it. They may also not have the accessibility to transfer into more environmentally friendly methods of generating electricity, and overall these factors come back to harm them the most. The global community relies on each other to function as a society, and when an issue as immense as climate change develops, it should be in everyone’s best interest to combat it so that it does not negatively affect more people than it already has. Definition of Key Terms Developed country Developed countries have a highly developed economy and infrastructure in relation to some less industrialised countries. Economic development is usually determined by the gross domestic product and gross national product (GDP and GNP respectively) and as well as the level of industrialisation, infrastructure and standard Haganum Model United Nations 2017| 10th of March – 12th of March 2017 of living. Countries such as France, Australia, and the United Kingdom are developed countries. Developing country Alternatively, developing countries have less developed economies and technological infrastructure in relation to other industrialised countries. They usually have a lower GDP and GNP, and have a lower Human Development Index (HDI) Examples of developing countries include Nepal, Brazil and Sudan. Quality of life (QOL) Quality of life is defined as the health, comfort and happiness felt by an individual or society. It is slightly more difficult to assess this because QOL is more subjective. Developed countries have a high QOL while developing countries have a lower QOL. Greenhouse gas (sometimes abbreviated to GHG) Greenhouse gases are a type of gas that absorb infrared radiation, such as carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide. Greenhouse gases cause the greenhouse effect where these gases trap the Sun’s warmth and the earth’s atmosphere retains this heat. Excessive greenhouse gas emission is the main cause of climate change. Background Information Origins of climate change Greenhouse gas emission primarily comes from electricity plants that burn coal as a means of generating electricity, followed by the use of motor vehicles which run on oil and gas. The main cause of climate change is through the emission of greenhouse gases and this causes an imbalance of gases in the Earth’s atmosphere. The imbalance causes other climate change related issues such as the rise sea levels, ocean acidification, rain and soil acidification and increase in overall global temperatures. The main difficultly with switching to other viable systems of producing electricity is that the use of fossil fuels is significantly cheaper, more efficient and more accessible than any other type of energy, and this makes it more convenient for countries to use fossil fuels. According to the Institute for Energy Research, coal cost 3.23 cents per kilowatt hour in 2011 against the cost of wind energy at 8.2 cents per kilowatt hour in 2012 and 12.67 cents per kilowatt hour for solar energy. This shows how cheap coal is compared to other types of renewable sources and that is more accessible in developing countries than other methods of energy. Other problems with renewable energy is accessibility and how to store it; for example, countries cannot solely Haganum Model United Nations 2017| 10th of March – 12th of March 2017 run on solar energy because there is no sun at night, and sometimes there may not be wind. Furthermore, hydropower needs access to water and height while geothermal would need a constant temperature of around 70˚C to produce energy, and this is either not accessible everywhere or scientists have not developed a method to effectively store renewable energy without losing energy in the transportation process. Reasons why poor and vulnerable people are affected by climate change Poor and vulnerable people are more likely to be affected by climate change because they may not have the means to repair damage caused by climate change and they may not have the means to implement more sustainable equipment. Developed countries such as Germany have excellent recycling systems that allow them to recycle more that 61% of their waste (European Environment Agency) and they are considered the ‘world’s first major renewable energy economy’ while countries such as the Philippines contribute to a large portion of plastic pollution due to a lack of such systems and do not invest in renewable energy as much as Germany does. The lack of sustainable methods, finances and funding and the possible lack of knowledge and awareness on how significant the issue is are the main reasons why developing countries are like to be affected by climate change. Impact of climate change on poor and vulnerable people Climate change has several different branches where the issues originate from, and each country will face a different issue with climate change. For example, poor coastal countries and islands such as Malaysia, Fiji and Mozambique will experience worse flooding and may not have the financial means to repair this, only leading to more internal issues in the economy. Likewise, countries that rely on agriculture may face issues with growing crops due to rain and soil acidification affecting the environment where they cultivate plants, such as Burundi. Furthermore, islands and coastal countries who fish for food or to sell could have severe shortages due to ocean acidification killing fish and other marine life. Rain, soil and ocean acidification are a similar chemical reaction where the excess amounts of carbon dioxide are dissolved in oceans and soil, causing the pH (measure for acidity) to drop. The greenhouse effect causes rise in global temperatures, leading to polar ice caps melting and thus increasing sea level and causing more severe floods during the rainy season in many tropical countries. What affects climate change in these areas - The main cause of these issues are due to the emission of greenhouse gases, which is the result of burning fossil fuels to generate electricity. As mentioned before, there are limited methods for creating electricity that is both accessible and affordable, as well as possible lack of awareness of the situation. This is one Haganum Model United Nations 2017| 10th of March – 12th of March 2017 of the reasons why many developing countries have continued using fossil fuels as the main form of generating electricity, despite negative effects. Due to these factors, developing countries suffer more due to climate change and they have limited ways to solve this issue within the country. Major Countries and Organisations Involved UNICEF Although not directly linked to issues related to climate change, UNICEF sheds light on issues about children and families whose lives have been negatively affected, and they work towards giving every child the opportunities they deserve. UNICEF can help those affected by climate change by providing work, money and education as means of recovery. United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) The UNEP tackles all sorts of environmental issues ranging from climate change to resource efficiency and their efforts can help attack the problem at its roots as well as provide solutions and help to those already affected by the issue. Organization Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) The OECD’s main goal is to provide policies that benefit everyone’s social and economic wellbeing, and have worked on green growth strategies of their own. There are 35 member states part of the OECD and they could potentially improve a developing countries’ situation. Timeline of Events Date Description of Event 20th Century Rise in sea level had increased more than it ever had before September 11, The Kyoto Protocol was signed by 83 member nations and ratified by at 1997 least 55 countries November 3 to Typhoon Haiyan (sometimes known as Yolanda) was one of the most November 11, devastating super typhoons in history, which mostly affected Southeast 2013 Asia. The severe weather pattern has been linked to climate change. September 15, Sustainable Development Goals were created as part of the 2030 2015 Sustainable Agenda Haganum Model United Nations 2017| 10th of March – 12th of March 2017 2015 The Paris Agreement was created and signed with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Relevant UN Treaties and Events Sustainable Development Goals, Goal 13 The Sustainable Development Goals were the 17 goals created on September 15, 2015 to ‘end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity of all’. Goal 1 focuses on ending poverty while Goal 13 focuses on climate action, and are both related to the issue of climate change’s impact on poor and vulnerable people. Paris Agreement The Paris Agreement is an agreement created by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in 2015 that covered greenhouse gas mitigation, adaptation and finances by 2020. In December of 2016, 194 members of the UNFCCC signed the agreement while 120 ratified it and the agreement went into effect on November 4, 2016. The Paris Agreement is very important in lessening climate change impact as greenhouse gas emission is one of the leading factors in causing climate change and will have negative effects on the environment. Protection of global climate for present and future generations, April 2009 (A/RES/63/32) This resolution addressed the issues of climate change and it’s effects on the present and future generations and discusses several other policies made to lessen the effects of climate change including the Kyoto Protocol, the Bali Action Plan and the UNFCCC’s work. Climate change and its possible security implications, June 2009 (A/RES/63/281) This resolution was created to emphasise the progress made in the aforementioned resolution and briefly discusses issues with security in climate change. Previous attempts to solve the issue Several attempts have been made to fight this problem since climate change has become an issue. Starting in 1997, the Kyoto Protocol was adopted during the third Climate Conference of Parties (COP3) in Kyoto, Japan. This protocol was eventually ratified and put into force on Haganum Model United Nations 2017| 10th of March – 12th of March 2017 February 16, 2005. It committed all industrialised countries to stabilise greenhouse gas emissions based on the principles of the UNFCCC and in 2012, the Doha Amendment was added to the Kyoto Protocol on December 8, 2012. In December 2010, the Cancun Agreements were signed to address the long-term challenge of climate change as a community and comprehensively taking proper action over time. The purpose of this particular agreement was to create reduce greenhouse gas emission and to help developing countries protect themselves from climate change’s impact as well as providing a sustainable future. The MDGs had Goal 1 which focused on eradicating extreme poverty and hunger and Goal 7 which focused on ensuring environmental sustainability. Both of these goals are aimed towards those living in developing countries, as they are more likely to be living in poverty and have unsustainable methods of living. According to The World Bank, 25.3% of the population was living with under $1.90 a day in 2000 but in 2013, this number had significantly decreased to 10.68%. The MDGs were relatively successful with these goals however following their end in 2015, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were created in 2015 as well to continue the path of development. The SDGs had several more goals than their predecessor, but had similar targets such as Goal 1 which also focused on ending poverty as well as Goal 13 which focused on climate action. These goals are set to end in 2030, and we are not able to assess their progress yet however the use of sustainable energy has increased in areas such as Germany, Austria, and the United States. Possible solutions Climate impact has different effects on member nations throughout the world, however countries with similar issues, financial, economic and geographical situations can use similar methods to address the issue. Despite being a very broad and difficult problem to tackle, international cooperation can help end minimise the effects. One viable solution is for member nations to invest in research and implementation of renewable energy. This would be beneficial in several ways because the research done can help a large number of countries with understanding renewable energy better and it can allow countries to transfer to an environmentally friendly way of generating electricity. Haganum Model United Nations 2017| 10th of March – 12th of March 2017 Minimising greenhouse gases would tackle the root of the issue and thereby lessening the effects of excess greenhouse gas emission. This would mostly be done by conserving energy in homes, workplaces and other areas where a large amount of energy is used, or developing technology that uses less energy but still maintaining efficiency, such as energy saving light bulbs. This solution has the potential to help educate others into understanding why climate change is affecting us negatively and how we can reverse the effects of climate change. Creating awareness can be done through online campaigns, informational seminars and talks that discuss climate change and its impacts. In theory, creating awareness would be more helpful to countries with lack of awareness as opposed to other countries where facilities are available but do not do it anyway. Finally, one problem that has arisen from these solutions are how money is supposed to be provide in order to put these solutions into practice. The best way we can do this is by pooling resources and cooperating so that more member nations can implement sustainable facilities. Each country is affected by climate change, some more than others however it is a universal problem that could lead to more severe issues in the future. With the full cooperation and dedication to fighting climate change, we can effectively solve this problem. Bibliography "About the OECD." OECD. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Jan. 2017. <http://www.oecd.org/about/>. "About UNEP." UNEP. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Jan. 2017. <http://web.unep.org/about/>. "About Us." UNICEF. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Jan. 2017. <https://www.unicef.org/about-us>. Bullard, Gabe. "See What Climate Change Means for the World's Poor." National Geographic. National Geographic Society, 1 Dec. 2015. 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Environmental Protection Agency, n.d. Web. 03 Jan. 2017. <https://www3.epa.gov/climatechange/kids/basics/today/greenhouse-effect.html>. "The Hidden Costs of Wind Power." Inst. N.p., 05 Mar. 2014. Web. 03 Jan. 2017. <http://instituteforenergyresearch.org/analysis/the-hidden-costs-of-wind-power/>. "The Hidden Costs of Wind Power." Institute of Energy Research. N.p., 05 Mar. 2014. Web. 02 Jan. 2017. <http://instituteforenergyresearch.org/analysis/the-hidden-costs-of-wind- Haganum Model United Nations 2017| 10th of March – 12th of March 2017 power/>. "Highest Recycling Rates in Austria and Germany – but UK and Ireland Show Fastest Increase." European Environment Agency. N.p., 3 June 2016. Web. 02 Jan. 2017. <http://www.eea.europa.eu/media/newsreleases/highest-recycling-rates-in-austria>. "Oceans, Fisheries and Coastal Economies." World Bank. N.p., 3 Oct. 2016. Web. 03 Jan. 2017. <http://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/environment/brief/oceans>. Osborn, Tom. "Why Developing Countries Are Disproportionately Affected by Climate Change -- and What Can They Do About It." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 22 Mar. 2015. Web. 30 Dec. 2016. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tom-osborn/whydeveloping-countries-_b_6511346.html>. "Poverty." The World Bank Data. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Jan. 2017. <http://data.worldbank.org/topic/poverty?end=2013&start=2000>. "Solar Electricity Cost vs. Regular Electricity Cost." Solar Electricity Cost vs. Regular Electricity Cost. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Jan. 2017. <http://solarcellcentral.com/cost_page.html>. United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. "Kyoto Protocol Intro." United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Jan. 2017. <http://unfccc.int/essential_background/kyoto_protocol/items/6034.php>. "United Nations, Main Body, Main Organs, General Assembly." United Nations. United Nations, n.d. Web. 01 Jan. 2017. <http://www.un.org/en/ga/63/resolutions.shtml>. "United Nations." United Nations. United Nations, n.d. Web. 04 Jan. 2017. <http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/>. Vidal, John. "Climate Change Will Hit Poor Countries Hardest, Study Shows." The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 27 Sept. 2013. Web. 01 Jan. 2017. <https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2013/sep/27/climate-change-poorcountries-ipcc>. Worland, Justin. "How Climate Change Unfairly Burdens Poorer Countries." Time. Time, 5 Feb. 2016. Web. 01 Jan. 2017. <http://time.com/4209510/climate-change-poor-countries/>. Haganum Model United Nations 2017| 10th of March – 12th of March 2017 Appendix Appendix 1 - Copy of the Adoption of Paris Agreement (FCCC/CP/2015/L.9/Rev.1) on December 12, 2015 Appendix 2 - Copy of Protection of global climate for present and future generations (A/RES/63/32) in April 2009 Appendix 3 - Copy of Climate change and its possible security implications (A/RES/63/281) in June 2009