Download Implementation of Alternative Energy Sources (set budget)

United Nations
Environment
Programme
Committee
Former UNEP Executive Director, Achim Steiner, “We can achieve our goals if we focus on solutions that
drive an inclusive green economy: increased renewable energy and energy efficiency measures,
conserving and expanding forest cover through
initiatives such as Reducing Emissions from
Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD), the
sound management of chemicals, embedding
sustainable consumption and production practices
at every level of society, and assisting nations to
adapt to the impacts of climate change, to name
but a few.”
UNEP Executive Director, Erik Solheim, “Financing the preservation and rejuvenation of our planet
cannot be the purview of governments alone. Private sector finance is both vital for sustainable
development, and an opportunity for business. As never before, markets are rewarding investments in
clean and green jobs and technologies.”
Implementation of Alternative Energy Sources (set budget)
Climate change as defined by the EPA, “any significant change in the measures of climate lasting
for an extended period of time”, has been increasing by a catastrophic rate in the past century. Climate
change comes in many forms including acidic oceans, rising temperatures, and melting glaciers. The
disastrous consequences of inaction are increasingly difficult to accurately predict past a global
temperature increase of more than two degrees Celsius as the sea rises to destroy coastlines, farm
production plummets, and most animals fail to adapt and ecosystems and their organisms are
irrevocably destroyed. Such concern has spurred the global community into the creation of institutions,
technologies, and policies to prevent this. The United Nation’s Environment Programme is one such
institution that rallies resources and leaders around the world to implement policies and programs to
work on every level to fight climate change and defend the environment.
This committee will be tasked with picking three projects for UNEP to complete. Delegates will
need to weigh their countries’ role, concerns, and initiatives when deciding what to support. Remember
all nations view climate change from their own perspective, including some climate change denial. Other
nations, particularly members of OPEC and nations with significant reserves of nonrenewable resources
continue to rely on these natural resources as valuable assets. Finally, considering what kind of
initiatives will be the best, an IPCC reported it will be cheaper to stop global warming then mitigate, but
people and their property are being in danger now as the symptoms of climate change in disastrous
storms and higher temperatures continue.
The projects could include a flood protection fund, disaster funds, green energy investments
(Solar, Wind, Hydro, Wave, Thermal, Biofuels, Nuclear), cleaning trash patches in the oceans or water
pollution, research on desertification or desalination, reforming carbon and methane emission
standards, addressing coral reef bleaching or urbanization/overpopulation, combating the melting of
permafrost and polar ice caps, preventing deforestation, standards on fracking, , encouraging education
programs or green roofs, and preventing mass extinction. There are various innovations and programs
to confront the issues posed by climate change and several that solve many. However, because of a
limited budget, only three projects can be chosen. Optimally, these projects can address multiple areas.
For example, an initiative constructing a solar plant in Kenya could provid green energy jobs and lower
dependence on nonrenewable resources, but sponsoring green roofs in Argentina would be an
investment in turning infrastructure sustainable while simultaneously lowering business costs. Private
sector partners have often worked with UNEP to sponsor certain projects or provide the capital for
various projects. This usually extends to funding or expertise in an issue, like Goldman-Sachs committing
$150 Billion to clean energy investments. UNEP spearheads different kinds of projects, such as
emergency action to assist flood victims in Serbia, to long term projects of moving developers to
sustainable design standards, one of which is gaining ground in India.
Questions to Consider

Where will the project do the most good, combining need, success, and applicable resources?

What countries can perform projects on their own, need initiatives to begin progress, or need
external support?

What partnerships between governments, NGOS, or the private sector, are necessary?

What has UNEP’s most successful programs been and why?
For some ideas on projects, this is the UNEP Critical Results from 2015
http://web.unep.org/annualreport/2015/en/unep-results.html
Here is a global map and article of concern about climate change from 2008
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2015/07/31/map-what-the-worlddoes-and-doesnt-know-about-climate-change/?utm_term=.77d4f9e04129
Transnational Corporations Standards Across Borders
The private sector has both reaped great benefits from natural resources and developed some
of the foremost technologies in confronting climate change and replenishing those resources. Blame has
largely been placed on the feet of the private sector as detractors claim that economic strength and
environmental protection are mutually exclusive. This has been justified by studies such as one saying
that only five companies are responsible for 14.6% of the world’s emissions between 1854 and 2010. As
increasing evidence of climate change has come forward, the debate about the role of the government
has been formed around this conception. An administration’s stance in any nation towards domestic
business has been framed as either confrontational or conciliatory.
UNEP does not subscribe to that view and has historically worked with businesses in
partnerships.
By promoting
projects based
on benefits to
buisnesses
from
sustainable
practices and
investments, UNEP has fostered an environment where they are viewed as expert advocates for change.
However, the businesses built around unsustainable practices, particularly the energy sector, continue
to view themselves as opposition.
Some of UNEP’s activities such as UNEP Frontiers Report advocates regulatory change as well as
public-private initiatives to move the financial industry into investing in sustainable projects. This two
pronged agenda has focused on investment changes, particularly in the financial sector. A recent
endeavor has been the Portfolio Decarbonization Coalition where two dozen major institutional
investors declared by Dec. 2015 to decarbonize 600 billion dollars of assets under management. This is
only one of many projects fostered by UNEP
Following the adoption of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs) in 2016, the UNEP
Positive Impact Manifesto outlined the need for private sector investors to help meet the budget needs
of the sweeping goals in the SDGs. Because of the dialogue undergone in risk management, one of
UNEP’s long term goals is to educate investors and businesses about the positive impacts of sustainable
instead of just the negative short term drawbacks.
Inside UNEP, DELC is the law division which has helped to implement and enforce environmental
law on different levels of governance on a global scale. They have facilitated talks and agreements on
multilateral environmental agreements and been a voice for regional programs. DELC’s mission focuses
on developing nations promote their own environmental laws and ability to enforce them.
Questions to Consider

What is a more effective way of encouraging companies to choose sustainable and green
investments and policies?

How can UNEP move the financial sector to investing into a globally sustainable paradigm?

Would public sector policies or private sector programs be more effective?
These are the SDGs, which became active in January 2016
http://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-development-goals/
Works Cited
Delc. "United Nations Environment Programme." Progressive Development. United Nations
Environment Programme, n.d. Web. 23 Jan. 2017.
EPA. "Climate Change: Basic Information." United State Environmental; Protection Agency. N.p., 17 Jan.
2017. Web. 23 Jan. 2017.
"Former Norwegian Minister Erik Solheim Takes Reins at UN Environment Programme." UNEP NEWS
CENTRE. UNEP, 27 June 2016. Web. 23 Jan. 2017.
Heede, R. Climatic Change (2014) 122: 229. doi:10.1007/s10584-013-0986-y
Noack, Rick. "Map: What the World Does and Doesn’t Know about Climate Change." The Washington
Post. WP Company, 31 July 2015. Web. 23 Jan. 2017.
Nuccitelli, Dana. "Climate Dollars and Sense – Preventing Global Warming Is the Cheap Option | Dana
Nuccitelli." Climate Consensus - the 97%. Guardian News and Media, 22 Apr. 2014. Web. 23 Jan.
2017.
UNEP. "UNEP Results." UNEP Annual Report 2015 - UNEP Results. United Nations, 2016. Web. 23 Jan.
2017.
Union of Concerned Scientists. "Global Warming Impacts." Union of Concerned Scientists. N.p., n.d.
Web. 23 Jan. 2017.
NOT TO PUBLISH NOTES TO BEGIN CONFERENCE WITH
Delegates, we will only accept working papers with one project.
Since their can only be three, we will also hold of voting until the end.
But working papers can be introduced in the order they are turned in with subsequent debate in normal
parliamentary procedure.