Download UN Environmental Programme Topic: A Climate Change Denmark

UN Environmental Programme
Topic: A
Climate Change
UNEP Topic A
Denmark
Denmark recognizes the need for countries around the world to develop sustainable economies
without losing productivity, and fully believes that measures should be taken in developing and developed
nations to do so.
In nations that are developed and mainly urban, changes must be made to the existing economies
to increase sustainability. Denmark has already undertaken many efforts to improve sustainability, such as
renovating old buildings to be more energy efficient, a measure which will cut energy consumption 6%
by 2020. Denmark sees the importance of renewable, sustainable energy sources, and has installed twelve
wind turbines off the coast of the port city of Esbjerg, with plans to greatly expand the country’s wind
energy use through 2030. The accountability of major companies for improving sustainability is also vital
in developed nations. To track sustainability improvements, large companies should send yearly
sustainability reports to the government. To facilitate the sustainability changes the companies must make
while remaining productive, it is Denmark’s belief that it is the government’s responsibility to
disseminate information regarding sustainability and methods companies can use to become more
sustainable.
In rural and developing nations, sustainability should be seen as a necessity for building and
economy and alleviating poverty. Developing nations must take the environmental impact of growth into
account when building a new economy if the economy is to be sustainable, and they must provide green
energy to the rural poor to make farming more sustainable as well. However, the cost of being sustainable
is often prohibitive for developing nations. Denmark is wholeheartedly in favor of developing a
comprehensive plan to encourage and create sustainable practices in the developing world, mostly
focused on agriculture. By making agriculture more sustainable, developing nations can slow the climate
change that forces many farmers into poverty and decreases the amount of arable land available.
Measures should be taken to increase organic farming in the developing world, as their is a high demand
for organic crops and a low environmental impact. Nations and farmers should be informed of sustainable
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methods of agriculture, and the UNEP should assist them in implementing these methods. Denmark
believes that this plan should be funded by the UNEP and its more developed member nations.
Works Cited
Aagaard, Jane. "An Ocean of Wind Turbines: Green Offshore." Denmark: The Official
Denmark. Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark, 2012. Web. 7 Oct.
Website of
2014.
Balch, Oliver. "Denmark's Collaborative Culture Makes It a Breeding Ground for
Sustainability." The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 6 Dec. 2013.
Web. 7 Oct.
2014.
Etkins, Paul, and Xavier Lemaire. "Sustainable Consumption and Production for Poverty
Alleviation." 2012. PDF file.
"Renovating for the Future." Denmark: The Official Website of Denmark. Ministry of
Foreign Affairs
of Denmark, n.d. Web. 7 Oct. 2014.
Why a Green Economy Matters for the Least Developed Countries. UNEP, 2011. Digital file.
UNEP Topic A
India
India is known for being environmentally damaged. The pollution in India alone measures a
grand total of $14 million dollars annually. For being as large of a country it is and housing 16% of the
world’s population, it is crucial for the environment to be in good shape and for those who inhabit India,
to take care of the environment that they live in.
Because India is so overpopulated, its forests are vanishing at a rapid pace as well as producing
contamination within the soil. A large fraction of the people that reside in the country, survive off of the
forest’s supplies. With these supplies being close to gone and the soil contaminated, residents are bound
to become extremely poor and hungry. Not only is forest disappearance a key issue but also the many
droughts that occur and leave villages without any safe water. Because of this, water will become scarce
and food safety will also become an issue. Without water regulations, people will struggle to survive.
India is the fourth largest greenhouse gas producer in the world. Most of this air pollution is
cased by the stressful and chaotic transportation system. The UNEP have organized a project that could
produce an outcome that will become a national transportation plan. This plan could reduce the amount
of harmful gases from escaping into the atmosphere, killing the precious ozone layer. Overall India needs
to focus on its environment as it takes up a large portion of the world as well as inhabits a large
percentage of the population. Not only is the atmosphere affected, but also the millions of residents. If
UNEP takes action against these problems, people will live greater lives as well as make their
environment a safer, cleaner place.
Works Cited
"The Future of Low Carbon Transport in India." UNEP. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 Oct. 2014.
<http://www.unep.org/transport/lowcarbon/about.asp>.
Jena, Pradyot Ranjan, Shunsuke Managi, and Bibhu Prasad Nayak. "Environmental Productivity in India:
A Luenberger Productivity Index Approach." N.d. PDF file.
UNEP Topic A
Iran
While looking at the history of Iran, there is a continuous buildup of environmental problems
that the country seeks to solve. With the emergence of problems such as poor air quality,
resource efficiency, ecosystem management, and environmental governance, the country needs
help in evading these problems. Accordingly, Iran’s Lake Urmia is under tremendous threat of
sanitary strives. This impacts the lives of innocent people of Iran who are suffering. Resulting
from a lack of sanitary drinking water due to the environmental complications of Lake Urmia’s
insalubrious water. There are many factors that lead to the decline of Lake Urima, which
includes a merge of droughts followed by the increases water division for irrigated agriculture in
the lakes watershed. Similarly, introducing, Mr. Lewin, United Nations head leader states, “Iran
also faces the problem of poverty, education, child mortality, maternal mortality, and the three
great diseases facing mankind today, HIV, malaria and tuberculosis .” Which in all, Iran’s
economy has been demonstrated to be heading in a direction of a downwards spiral which pleads
the government to seek economical health from allies. Primarily, we receive climate changes
from greenhouse gas emissions from burning fossil fuels.
Climate change can contribute in Iran’s society in positive as well as negative ways. Over the
recent years, studies have proven that rainfall rates have increased in Iran. Accordingly, the
number of storm activities continue to grow, causing a decline in global warming which is
impacts the Tigris and Euphrates rivers positively. Though, the progress of this topic should not
be taken lightly, since other problems such as poverty and achieving the Millennium
Development Goals (MDG) rely on the effects of climate change. United Nations leader of Iran
states, “Climate change is THE greatest collective challenge facing humankind – and facing
Iran.” Following this statement, the problem of water resource can be solved in many ways.
Solutions may include, working at the frontlines of global impact negotiations, which creates a
path of low-carbon economy. Also, creating larger budgets to help humans as well as ecosystems
adapt to immediate climate changes. Next, Iran’s government and allies could spread awareness,
informing and educating neighboring countries and Iran about the serious effects of climate
change. On a similar note, Legislators could also participate in this cause by keeping this
problem of climate change on “parliamentary agenda – through standing committees.” Which
means, actions everyday should be taken to fight this issue of climate change as well as the
effects that follow along. There should be enforcement of environmental laws that highly
effective. In all, taking these steps can develop a stable climate change which will lead Iran as a
country into a better direction.
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Iran believes UNEP could make beneficial achievements with reducing climate changes if these
solutions are taking into initiative. Together, Iran has been a supporting allied with France and
wishes to carry on this relationship as well as help from other eco-friendly companies.
UNEP Topic A
Kosovo
Kosovo has only been an independent country since 2008 and to many countries
in the UN Security Council, do not even classify Kosovo as it’s own country.
And because Kosovo became its own country from the help of other countries
supporting them financially, they have struggled in all aspects of developed
life, including climate change. Though Kosovo is a very small country, it
emits a large amount of greenhouse gases (GHG). It is a contributor to the
problem and has a high per capita contribution. Kosovo as two large coal
plants that supply energy for the country, Kosovo A and Kosovo B. The plants
are outdated and are barely able to supply enough energy to keep up with the
increasing need for electricity. Kosovo also supplies energy with
hydroelectric, wind and solar power but these alternatives are doing very
little to decrease the country’s carbon footprint.
Kosovo is extremely busy trying to keep its economy stable that it has not
been able to address the serious issue of climate change affecting Kosovo.
With all of the GHG being released within and outside Kosovo’s borders, the
citizens of Kosovo are at risk for many water and air-borne diseases. The
uneven elevations of the country, along with Alpine and Mediterranean
influences, the climate of Kosovo was already unpredictable and the pollution
is only making it worse. Vehicles in Kosovo (overall) are as outdated as the
power plants. The Kosovo Environment Protection Agency suggests that
approximately 5.5 million tons of CO2 is emitted by Kosovo’s vehicles each
year.
Kosovo’s government has in the past few years, tried to help deal with the
issue but it is not their greatest concern. Even with all of their current
issues they have passed dozens of laws to help prevent further contribution
and protect what is left to keep safe from the effect of GHG. Including but
not limited to, the Law on Protection of Air from Pollution, the Law on
Hyrdometeorlolgy Activities, and the Law on Strategic Assessment of the
Environment.
Kosovo has a significant impact of the future of climate change and has an
interest to improve the issues it has caused. The delegation of Kosovo will
do anything in its power to help those sharing their values.
UNEP Topic A
Russian Federation
Efforts to increase agricultural production must go hand in hand with agricultural
practices that are sustainable. Trade liberalization creates efficiencies, promotes productivity
and can contribute to a more sustainable use of resources. To pursue productivity and
sustainability, coherence between agricultural, environmental and trade policies must be
fostered.
In an effort to transform Russia's oil-dependent economy into a sustainable engine of
growth, the government has unveiled a series of legal and financial measures aimed at fulfilling
President Vladimir Putin's ambitious pledge to increase Russia's labor productivity 50 percent
by 2018. The government's plan dictates a series of equally ambitious industry benchmarks that
would see productivity in the aviation industry more than double by 2018. Productivity at small
and mid-size industrial enterprises is intended to climb by nearly 50 percent, while productivity
in construction is expected to rise by 30 percent. These targets far exceed the government's
earlier forecast for the same period, which anticipates productivity as a whole rising just 1.1
percent in 2014, 2.1 percent in 2015 and then gradually escalating to a total increase of about
13 percent by the end of 2018.
Productivity in Russia is now less than half that of Germany, less than 40 percent that of
France and just 28 percent that of the U.S. State attention has been firmly fixed on the issue
since 2012, when Mr. Putin during his third inauguration set the government the formidable
task of raising productivity 50 percent across the Russian economy by 2018. But so far progress
has been slow, with productivity economy-wide rising just 3.8 percent in 2012. Mr. Putin once
again called for a drastic overhaul of Russian industry as the key to sustainable economic
growth. "Russia needs a real technological revolution, a serious technological renewal, we must
perform the most sweeping technological upgrade of our enterprises in the last half decade,"
Putin said in a speech to domestic and foreign business leaders at the St. Petersburg
International Economic Forum. The plan includes measures to increase investment in the
renovation and modernization of production; to stimulate technical modernization; to get rid of
inefficient jobs; to promote workers' professional development and mobility; to raise
productivity in fully or partly government-owned companies; and to increase self-employment
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and employment in small businesses. The financial resources for any investment project in
Russia are now limited, as the Russian economy hovers just shy of stagnation, the Central Bank
keeps lending rates high for fear of inflation and lending from abroad plummets in expectation
of further sanctions from the West.
Under the EU-funded SUST-RUS project ('Spatial-economic-ecological model for the
assessment of sustainability policies of Russia'), researchers set out to develop an integrated,
state-of-the-art modelling approach that could assist Russian policy makers in their choice of
short, medium and long-term sustainability policies. To achieve this, project researchers, led by
Russia's Centre for Economic and Financial Research, first developed the new modelling
approach itself. They then developed a set of sustainability indicators associated with the
model, allowing the quantification of the social, economic and environmental effects of
sustainability policies. Finally, the team used the model to assess the potential effects of a set
of important sustainability policy measures, thus demonstrating the capabilities and reliability
of the approach.
UNEP Topic A
Sudan
We as the delegates of Sudan find that the most important resources of our
earth are degrading, not at all being sustained, by the continued expansion of
industrialism in our modern world. Industrialism cannot be undervalued, for the
technologies and improvements it has made to the world have been monumentally
helpful to many people in many countries, but the detrimental effects of this
phenomenon, such as pollution and deforestation, coupled with an exponentially
increasing human population, deserve the efforts of restriction and balancing.
We as the Sudanese delegates find that the most important resources to
make sustainable are the crops of the world, critical in feeding the growing
generations of people. It has been discovered through scientific experiments and
observations that biodiversity in the plants leads to both increased sustainability of
the soil and increased productivity of the crop in itself. Biodiversity is clearly the
ingredient in the grand recipe that will combat the hungers of the future.
Terrestrial and marine protected areas must be established in order to harbor
biodiversity in controlled settings. An initiative for workers of the sciences should be
constructed from the UNEP committee, in order to ensure that these stations remain
controlled and productivity is maximized. The plants need to be patterned in ways
so as to not exhaust the soil, overgrazing has to be prevented as a way for fauna to
reduce the worth of the flora, and alien species need to be calculated, because the
use of their presence can and should be used to increase biodiversity, however no
harm can be caused by one of these alien species becoming invasive. This is why
the team of researchers is needed; to measure out correct levels of these factors so
as to maximize diversity and thereby efficiency and sustainability.
Furthermore, it is no secret to we as the delegates, and the political leaders of
our country, that Sudan has faced many trials in the past and will continue to face
many in the future. We are a less developed nation than other westernized powers,
and still suffer from internal conflict. But we also know that we are not the only lessdeveloped country; many in the world are like us. So, here is our proposal for the
topic being discussed: these new institutions of growth and research of biodiversity
to increase the output of our farms will most likely begin as experimental facilities
before evolving into successful processors of food for the world. So, as other farms
continue to use imperfect methods internationally, let a body of researchers come
together from different nations to perfect the model of farming, to bring humanity as
close to maximum productivity and sustainability, and let these great steps in
environmental science take place in the less-advanced societies. In countries like
Sudan, these experimental facilities could open up job opportunities as well as bring
new technologies and techniques to the territory. This will improve the less wealthy
countries, which will increase the standards of living and potentially raise revenues,
while the whole while a test subject for what could become the superior model for
farming, recognized internationally. A grand project such as this, with funding
discussed when the committee gathers, should be the solution that solidifies the
world on a more united front against environmental disaster on this planet.
UNEP Topic A
France
Everybody in the western hemisphere has heard the terms climate change and global warming.
They have become ingrained in our minds as an environmental issue that the world has not handled
responsibly and is increasingly affecting not only this generation, but the next generations. Climate
change is defined as “a change in global or regional climate patterns, in particular a change apparent
from the mid to late 20th century onwards and attributed largely to the increased levels of atmospheric
carbon dioxide produced by the use of fossil fuels” (Miller). However, what we really need to be
concerned with is the nearly-synonymous global warming term. Global warming refers more specifically
to the man-made aspect of climate change that is slowly warming our Earth’s surface, and Earth’s
surface is truly meant literally. Humans are land dwelling, obviously, so our first thoughts tend toward
hotter summer days in the city, but the Earth’s oceans are actually storing 90% of the increased energy
since 1971. Global warming works by trapping an increasing amount of energy from the sun in our
global atmosphere. The amount of energy trapped in the atmosphere is very positively correlated with
the concentration of specific “greenhouse gases” like water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous
oxide, and chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). The most problematic gas on this list is carbon dioxide, or CO2.
In short, increased concentrations of these gases will lead to reduced agricultural capacity, rising sea
levels, and significantly reduced biodiversity. Of course, an issue of this magnitude does not go
unnoticed by the United Nations. The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
(UNFCCC) is a treaty signed on May 9th, 1992 and took effect March 21st, 1994. Its objective is to
"stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous
anthropogenic interference with the climate system". It sets forth guidelines for the nations of the world
to carry forward with their environmental pursuits without actually setting numerical limits. This
document hosts the ideological goals that subsequent acts have tried to reach. Fortunately, everyone
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agrees on these goals. 196 entities signed this treaty including all UN member states and some non-UN
bodies.
France has historically been very environmentally forward. France created one of the first
environment ministries in 1971 and has since been consistently ranked as one of the best in each
Environmental Performance Index. According to this document in 2012, “France is the sixth most
environmentally conscious country in the world, despite being very industrialized” (epi.yale.edu). This is
largely due to significant investment France made into nuclear power in the middle of the 20th century.
Nuclear power pollutes significantly less than many other electricity generating mechanisms and it now
accounts for 75% of electricity production in France (eoearth.org). Not only is France already a leader in
reducing carbon emissions, but Nelly Olin, former French Minister for Ecology and Sustainable
Development, states that “any financial burdens cannot be immediately ruled out. Climate change is an
extremely important issue”. Compared to other countries, France has statistically backed up its
environmentally friendly goals. In 1990, France promised to cut its carbon emissions by 20% by 2020,
compared to a mere 4% promised decrease by the United States in the same timeframe.
French President François Hollande “gives his full support to the United Nations in the pursuit of
a global sustainable community”. Currently, the UNEP releases a “yearbook” that "reviews emerging
environmental issues and policy-relevant developments". The UNEP also hosts the Climate Change
Conference annually for seeking solutions. These are rather docile ways of reducing carbon emissions,
however it is now time to become slightly more aggressive. Carbon taxes have been proposed around
the world but have ultimately failed individually due to fear of business moving away. If carbon
emission taxes are implemented worldwide, then this once failed strategy can change the world for the
better. As the third largest agricultural exporter in the world, France would not like to see climate
change and global warming decimate our crop production. This throw our country into ruin. It is in the
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best interest of France and of the United Nations to implement new tactics that might restore balance
to our environment.
Works Cited
"Country Rankings." Environmental Performance Index. Yale University, n.d. Web.
<http://epi.yale.edu/epi/country-rankings>.
"Energy Profile of France." Energy Profile of France. N.p., n.d. Web.
<http://www.eoearth.org/view/article/152496/>.
Miller, G. Tyler. Living in the Environment: Concepts, Problems, and Alternatives. Belmont, CA:
Wadsworth Pub., 2007. Print.
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Lithuania
Lithuania has very strong views on the issue of climate change in the European Union.
Climate change refers to a change in weather patterns over a long period of time, from decades to
millions of years. Climate change is caused by factors such as biotic processes, variations in solar
radiation received by Earth, plate tectonics, and volcanic eruptions. Certain human activities have also
been identified as significant causes of recent climate change, often referred to as "global warming".
The delegation of Lithuania believes that climate change and global warming could eventually put the
world in a very dangerous situation. Global warming leads to increased poverty, forced migration and
billions of dollars spent just to mitigate the consequences of environmental neglect. Lithuania is
dedicated to sharing the European Union's goals of reducing European carbon emissions by 25% per the
Kyoto agreement. These reductions come from energy saving initiatives and greater investment in
renewable energy sources, which will cover 20% of our energy needs by 2020 compared to 7% today.
Our current dependency on imported, non renewable resources is unsustainable and damaging to both
our economy and the environment. Alongside the European Union, we hope to invest further in
renewable energy initiatives as our method of improving this situation for the future.
UNEP Topic A
Pakistan
Pakistan is extremely vulnerable to climate change. Pakistan’s government is battling
terrorism and energy shortages, so climate and environmental changes are not a top priority.
Climate Change has impacted the people of Pakistan. In a poll, Pakistan had the most people
say they are directly impacted by climate change. 4,000 people across the country are worried
about lack of electricity, food, and water. There are changes in rainfall, temperatures are rising,
and there are shifts in saline water intrusion. The people of Pakistan have been feeling these
changes for awhile, despite only a quarter of the people claiming they know the term “climate
change”. Over seventy percent of Pakistanis admitted they are not confident in their
government and they do not believe their government will help with these issues. They have
confidence with each other. People is small villages the impacts of climate change have taught
them how to solve their own problems.With the absence of government support, people have
to work together to solve these problems. The National Climate Change Policy was launched in
2013, but put aside due to other problems in the country. Of the people surveyed on resource
availability in Pakistan, 70 percent said it is decreasing in fuel; 47 percent said it is decreasing
in water and 28 percent said it is reducing in crop reduction. Pakistan’s population is estimated
to increase from 180 million to 256 million people by 2030. This is a huge issue because
Pakistan is water stressed.The country does not have enough water to support its growing
population, let alone its current population. Despite having little aid from their government,
people say that if they are aware of their environment, they are able to somewhat cope with
the changes. The rise of technology usage in Pakistan is becoming helpful with the issue. More
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television viewings and cell phone users have made more people aware of their environment
and what can be done.
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Poland
Poland
A recent problem that has been surfacing around the world is global climate change.
Climate change is a change in weather and climate patterns that will negatively impact the
people and earth. If left alone, climate change would alter precipitation patterns, hinder food
production, raise the sea level, and trigger more natural disasters. The primary cause for this
change in climate is human industrialization, which has slowly warmed the earth by releasing
greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Furthermore, there is scientific evidence that suggests the
environmental tipping points may have already been reached or passed. Climate change was
once thought of as a myth, but now governments around the world are addressing this problem.
The Republic of Poland advocates going green and cutting down on greenhouse gas
emissions. However, the ROP has a longstanding dependence on coal-fire plants which is
difficult to abandon. The ROP seeks to move away from coal-fire energy by researching
alternate sources of energy that are both efficient and clean.
The ROP encourages the United Nations to regulate countries’ carbon emission levels.
The ROP recommends that the United Nations accomplish this by establishing committees in
their respective region to actively monitor their countries carbon emission levels and to assist
those countries that need it in order to reduce carbon emissions. By doing this, the United
Nations will be promoting a greener global community and mitigate the effects of climate
change.
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Slovakia
Climate change is a change in global or regional patterns in weather over a long period of
time, caused by increased levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, and greenhouse gas (GHG)
emissions. CO2 emissions come from the burning of fossil fuels, while greenhouse gases absorb
and give out radiation. A negative result of climate change is many life forms are having trouble
adapting to the new environment, because of the changing weather patterns. In 1992, 192
countries ratified the Kyoto Protocol agreement, in which they agreed to reduce CO2 emissions.
In addition to this, the agreement acknowledged that global warming is indeed real and that it is
caused by human CO2 emissions. The agreement expired on December 31, 2012 and an
extension of the Protocol known as the Doha Amendment is currently being debated for
ratification. In 2009, the main idea of the European Union (EU) discussions pertaining to
climate change and a continuation of the Kyoto protocol agreement. However, the extension has
not yet been ratified, and some countries have withdrawn from the Protocol. The United Nations
Environment Programme (UNEP) is trying to tackle the issue of climate change, by placing
regulations on CO2 emissions. This issue of climate is of great importance to the UN.
Slovakia believes that the answer to the world’s problems with climate change lies in
energy reforms. The country believes that it and other countries should decrease dependence on
environmentally harmful and external sources, and begin development of nuclear energy
combines. This cost-effective energy source, Slovakia thinks, will increase energy security
within its borders. Also, nuclear energy does not present as much of a hazard to the environment,
as the waste it produces is not nearly as toxic or plentiful as that produced by coal, oil, or natural
gas. Slovakia believes that multilateralism (multiple delegations/countries working in concert to
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solve an issue) is the key to fixing our predicament. These are virtues that Slovakia feels will
make the climate less volatile, and help to restore biodiversity to our planet.
At this next meeting, Slovakia would like to promote regulations on CO2 and GHG
emissions, by renewing the Kyoto Protocol agreement. In addition to that, the delegation of
Slovakia hopes to share and spread the belief and evidence that nuclear energy is beneficial, and
environmentally friendly. Slovakia would also like to encourage other states to set up nuclear
power plants within their borders and reduce CO2 emissions. Lastly, Slovakia hopes to spread
the idea of becoming self-sufficient in energy production. Slovakia does acknowledge the other
point of view regarding all of these topics, and hopes to cooperate with other delegations to
achieve a peaceful, and beneficial result.
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