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Haganum Model United Nations
Gymnasium Haganum, The Hague
Research Reports
Group of 20 summit
The question of the transition of fossil
fuels to renewable energies
10th, 11th and 12th of March 2017
Haganum Model United Nations 2017| 10th of March – 12th of March 2017
Forum:
Group of 20 summit
Issue:
The question of the transition of fossil fuels to renewable
energies
Student Officer: Isa Dijkstra
Position:
Deputy President
Introduction
Nearly everyone agrees that fossil fuels contribute to many of the world’s biggest
environmental problems. Global warming is happening as a direct result of burning fossil
fuels, besides this the burning of fossil fuels cause air pollution, acid rain and has a serious
impact on human health. Despite almost everyone admitting this, the transition from fossil
fuels to renewable energy is not going nearly as fast as environmental experts would want,
as it is likely that the earth will warm by 4˚C by 2100. This is twice the level that was set as a
goal by the world’s governments and what they deem as dangerous.
The energy transition is already happening. In 2014 it was estimated that 11% of the
world’s total energy and 21% of the world’s electricity came from renewable sources.
However, not all countries are taking all the efforts they can to achieve the goal set at the
Paris Climate Conference (PCC). The most important reason for this is money. Setting up
renewable energy sources costs a lot of money and it is still possible to make a lot of money
with fossil fuels. Besides this, the fossil fuel industry is also a significant part of the economy
of many countries. In the United States, the oil and gas industries accounted for 8 percent of
their economy in 2011. Being a significant part of the economy, the industry gains a lot of
political power. Therefore it is unlikely that these industries will be shut down immediately.
Many countries are taking action to make the transition to renewable energy, but to
be successful, more efforts should be made.
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Definition of Key Terms
Renewable energy
The International Energy Agency (IEA) defines renewable energy as “Energy derived
from natural processes that are replenished at a faster rate than they are consumed.
Solar, wind, geothermal, hydro and some forms of biomass are a common source of
renewable energy.”
Greenhouse gases
Greenhouse gases are gases that because of their global warming potential in the
atmosphere contribute to the maintaining of earths’ constant temperature. Without
greenhouse gases, the average temperature on earth would be -18 degrees Celsius.
Too many greenhouse gases in the atmosphere can cause a rise of the global
temperature.
Kyoto protocol
The Kyoto protocol is an international agreement which makes its Parties set
internationally binding emission reduction targets. The Kyoto protocol places a heavier
burden on the developed countries, as they are mainly responsible for the high emission
of greenhouse gases.
Paris agreement
The Paris agreement is an agreement made at the Paris climate summit. The
agreements aim is to keep the global temperature rise this century below 2 degrees
Celsius. The agreement also aims for the strengthening of the ability of countries to deal
with the climate change.
Global warming
Global warming according to dictionary.com is defined as “an increase in the earth’s
average atmospheric temperature that causes corresponding changes in climate and
that may result from the greenhouse effect” Global Warming is internationally
recognised as a serious problem, 54% of the world’s population is concerned about it.
Latin America and Africa are, logically, the most concerned about this problem as they
are already facing some problems that are caused by global warming. In countries
where the carbon emissions are high people are less concerned about global warming
and its consequences.
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Background Information
The transition to renewable energy is an inescapable measure. This is not because
we can run out of fossil fuels, research suggests that we have only used a small part of the
fossil fuels as there are still more places discovered where there are fossil fuels and new
techniques are being made to extract them. It is because although we have only burned a
small part of the earth’s reserves, there has already been a warming of more than one
degree Celsius.
Figure 1 The amount of proved and predicted gas and oil from 1977 to 2010
Global impacts of fossil fuels
The burning of fossil fuels has a significant global impact. As mentioned in the
introduction, global warming is happening as a direct result of the burning of fossil fuels and it
also causes global health problems, by means of, for example, air pollution. Besides the
burning of fossil fuels, extracting fossil fuels, by mining or drilling, carries serious health and
environmental impacts.
The impact of fossil fuels on the environment
When fossil fuels are burned, greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide and
methane, enter the atmosphere. When there are more greenhouse gases, more heat
is absorbed by them, causing the earth to warm. This global warming has many
impacts on the earth’s environment.
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Figure 2 The process of global warming
First of all, the temperatures, obviously, rise. But these rising temperatures have
many consequences. As most people know, it is accelerating the sea level rise. Not
only because more ice is melting, but also because when something is warmer it
expands, just like water. Therefore, with the amount of water there is on earth, this
expansion also causes a rise in the sea level. This will dramatically increase coastal
flooding risks. Global warming will also intensify the weather events on earth. On one
hand, it will increase the drought in dry areas and expand these areas. This can
threaten drinking water resources and ecosystems. On the other hand, global
warming is causing more tropical storms. It influenced el Niño, it was called super el
Niño in 2015, this brought heavy rains and drought to different parts of the world
which resulted in many food shortages in affected countries.
Fossil fuels can also impact the areas where they are extracted, as drilling
methods can bring water from deeper in the earth to the surface. This water can carry
a high amount of heavy metals, hydrocarbons, and radioactive materials that is
unsuitable for human consumption. Therefore the area will be hugely impacted. The
other way of extracting fossil fuels, mining, also influences the water flows.
The impact of fossil fuels on the global health
The burning of fossil fuels and the climate change that comes with it affects the most
important things that keep us healthy, namely sufficient food and fresh water, clean
air and the absence of infectious diseases, these infectious diseases can intensify as
a result of natural catastrophes. At the Paris climate summit, more than 1700 health
organisations and more than 13 million doctors and other health professionals urged
the government to reach an agreement that would protect the health of patients and
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the public. Dr Margaret Chan, the Director-General of the World Health Organisation
(WHO) said “Climate change, and all of its dire consequences for health, should be at
centre-stage, right now, whenever talk turns to the future of human civilisations. After
all, that’s what’s at stake”. The most direct way in which global health is harmed is the
burning of fossil fuels which causes air pollution, which was responsible for 1 in 8
deaths globally in 2012. The World Health Organisation estimates that global
warming will cause 250,000 deaths per year between 2030 and 2050. These deaths
will be the result of malnutrition, malaria, diarrhoea, and heat stress. The World
Health Organisation also stated that this number is most likely an underestimate.
Difficulties of the transition to renewable energies
As already mentioned in the introduction, money is the most significant barrier for the
total switch to renewable energy. Other barriers include the intermittent nature of renewable
energy and insufficient technologies.
The economic barrier has two sides. Firstly, the cost of renewable energies, and
secondly, the fossil fuels being a significant part of many countries’ economies. When
making the transition to renewable energy, the initial costs are very high. Renewable energy
investments need higher amounts of money for the same capacity. Besides this, some
countries are very dependent of fossil fuels. For example, 95% of the exports of Nigeria
consist of petroleum and petroleum products. The global transition to renewable energies
would have a huge impact on their and other countries’ economies.
The most significant technological barrier is that renewable energy generates less
energy than what is possible with fossil fuels. For example, the most efficient solar panels
have an efficiency of 40 to 50 percent. Another problem is the intermittent nature of
renewable energies. Solar panels don’t generate energy at night and windmills only generate
energy when the wind is blowing.
Major Countries and Organisations Involved
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)
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The UNFCCC is one of the three conventions adopted at the ‘Rio Earth Summit’ in
1992 and has a near-universal membership. The objective of the UNFCCC is “stabilise
greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous
anthropogenic interference with the climate system.” Two key steps of the UNFCCC are the
Kyoto protocol and the Paris agreement.
International Energy Agency (IEA)
The International Energy Agency (IEA) is an organisation which has as objective to
ensure reliable, affordable and clean energy for its 29 member countries and beyond. The
four main areas of focus are: energy security, economic development, environmental
awareness and engagement worldwide.
China
China currently is one of the leading countries in renewable energy. China has the
most installed wind energy capacity and is aiming to spend $360 billion on renewable
energies by 2020. China also owns five of the world’s six largest solar-module manufacturing
firms. It has as goal to generate 27% of its electricity by renewable energies in 2020.
However, China has a progressive definition of renewable energy which also counts nuclear
power as renewable energy.
United States of America
In 2015, 10% of the U.S. energy consumption and 13% of the electricity generation
were accounted for by renewable energy sources. Under the Obama administration, the
Clean Power Plan was developed by the Environmental Protection Agency. However, with a
president-elect who claims that he thinks climate change is a hoax, the American transition to
renewable energy might not proceed the way it goes.
Sweden
Sweden is well on its way to become the first country that runs entirely on renewable
energy. Its target is to complete this goal by 2040 and they are on track to reach this goal,
last year 57% of their energy came from renewable sources.
Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)
OPEC is an intergovernmental organisation with the objective to coordinate and unify
the petroleum policies of its Member States and ensure the stabilisation of oil markets.
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Although they state that they are concerned about global warming and the environment, they
do not have any plans to reduce the amount of oil they are producing. In December 2015
they said that they would keep producing oil at current levels and no change in policy has
been made since then.
Timeline of Events
Date
Description of event
June, 1992
Rio Earth Summit
March 21, 1994
UNFCCC entered into force
December 11, 1997 The Kyoto protocol was adopted in Kyoto
February 16, 2005
The Kyoto protocol entered into force
November 30, 2015 The United Nations Climate Change Convention started
December 12, 2015 The Paris agreement was adopted in Paris
January, 2017
194 member of the UNFCCC have signed the Paris agreement of
which 123 have ratified it
Relevant UN Treaties and Events

Reliable and stable transit of energy and its role in ensuring sustainable development
and international cooperation, 19 December 2008 (A/RES/63/210)

Promotion of new and renewable sources of energy, 19 December 2004
(A/RES/69/225)

International Year for Sustainable Energy for all, 16 February 2011 (A/RES/65/151)
Previous Attempts to solve the Issue
The 2015 Paris climate summit was one of the major attempts to solve the
issue of global warming by reducing the emission of greenhouse gases. The aim of a
maximum temperature rise of two degrees is an optimistic one, but if all countries will do
what they say they will do it might be possible.
Next to this summit, more conventions have been held by the UNFCCC, such as the
convention in Marrakech in November, 2016 and the convention in Lima in December 2014.
There are also many organisations that have climate change as their major concern
and are trying to convince countries to make the transition to renewable energies. One of the
major organisations is Greenpeace. Greenpeace was one of the first to create a sustainable
development scenario to reduce climate change, this was in 1993. They are trying to reach
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their objective by, for example their campaign ‘Go beyond oil’. Another organisation is the
Union of Concerned Scientists, they are trying to help the transition to renewable energies by
doing research and developing or further developing renewable energy sources.
Possible Solutions
When finding a solution for this problem multiple aspects should be taken into
consideration. An important aspect is that some countries’ economies are very dependent on
fossil fuels. When these countries are developing countries measures should be taken to
ensure that the economy of the country won’t collapse. One of the solutions for this problem
is to help these countries invest in renewable energies. This helps with the transition, but
also helps the country itself. Besides this, it is a possible solution. For example Costa Rica, a
developing nation, has invested a lot in renewable energies and was able to completely run
on renewable energies for 299 days in 2016. Another way of solving this problem is by
helping countries diversify their export. This could be done by, firstly looking which products
can be made or found in this country and, secondly, helping them set up the means that are
necessary for this country to be able to produce these products.
When making a solution, global cooperation is important. Making renewable energy
transport possible could be very important, because when there is an abundance of energy,
for example when there is a very sunny day, this can be transported to other countries.
Another problem is the efficiency of renewable energies, as this currently isn’t very
high. A solution for this could be using nuclear plants instead of renewable energies such as
solar panels, as nuclear plants do not cause damage to the environment. However, there are
also many people against nuclear plants.
Something that could be done to encourage people to invest more in renewable
energies is increasing the price of fossil fuels. This would encourage people to for example
buy electrical cars or solar panels as this would be the cheaper option and many people are
motivated by money.
Bibliography
Cañete, Miguel Arias. "Environment." Renewable Energy: Catalyst for a Clean Energy
Transition - OECD. N.p., 2016. Web. 12 Jan. 2017.
<http://www.oecd.org/environment/renewable-energy-catalyst-clean-energy-transition.htm>.
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Carrington, Damian. "Planet Likely to Warm by 4C by 2100, Scientists Warn." The Guardian.
Guardian News and Media, 31 Dec. 2013. Web. 12 Jan. 2017.
<https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2013/dec/31/planet-will-warm-4c-2100-climate>.
Cohen, Steven. "The Transition to Renewable Energy Is Difficult But Feasible." The
Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 10 June 2014. Web. 12 Jan. 2017.
<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/steven-cohen/the-transition-to-renewab_b_5938540.html>.
Glide, Melanie. "Global Energy Transition Is Underway and Ready for G20 Acceleration on
Action." WWF. World Wildlife Fund, 01 Sept. 2016. Web. 12 Jan. 2017.
<http://www.worldwildlife.org/press-releases/global-energy-transition-is-underway-and-readyfor-g20-acceleration-on-action>.
Heinberg, Richard. "100% Renewable Energy Is Possible, Here's How." EcoWatch. N.p., 09
July 2016. Web. 12 Jan. 2017. <http://www.ecowatch.com/100-renewable-energy-ispossible-heres-how-1882182049.html>.
Nuccitelli, Dana. "Earth Is Warming 50x Faster than When It Comes out of an Ice Age." The
Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 24 Feb. 2016. Web. 12 Jan. 2017.
<https://www.theguardian.com/environment/climate-consensus-97-percent/2016/feb/24/earth-is-warming-is-50x-faster-than-when-it-comes-out-of-an-ice-age>.
Rissman, Jeffrey. "We Will Not Run out of Fossil Fuels." Livescience. N.p., 14 June 2014.
Web. 12 Jan. 2017. <http://www.livescience.com/37469-fuel-endures.html>.
Sebastian. "G20 Financing the Transition – Glimpses of Green." Climate Transparency. N.p.,
21 Sept. 2016. Web. 12 Jan. 2017. <http://www.climate-transparency.org/g20-financing-thetransition>.
Appendix or Appendices
I.
1
0
http://newsroom.unfccc.int/
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II.
III.
IV.
V.
1
1
http://www.ecowatch.com/100-renewable-energy-is-possible-heres-how1882182049.html
http://www.oecd.org/environment/renewable-energy-catalyst-clean-energytransition.htm
http://www.climate-transparency.org/
http://www.unosd.org/
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