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Southern China International MUN Official Background Guide Committee of ECOSOC: Promoting the Sustainable Use of Natural Resources World-Wide Agenda overseen by Chris Kim 1. Description of the issue In the past two centuries, the human population has leaped in great amounts, leading to the increase of consumption regarding to natural resources. While exponential leap of human population lead to the scarcity of resources, humans have been seeking ways to combat the augmenting scarcity of natural resources. Renewable energy, which may replace the use of some natural resources such as coal and fossil fuels, may cause great benefit to the environment. Renewable energy is known to be infinite due to its availability to be replaced naturally and reused. Examples include biomass, solar, wind, rain, tides, and waves. However, implementation of renewable energy may cost much, which suspends LEDCs from utilizing renewable energy. 1.1. History of the issue The sustainability of natural resources was derived from the traces of earliest human civilizations. In about 8,000~10,000 years ago, as the agrarian communities began to flourish, they happened to depend grandly on the environment as local food supply and surplus had became crucial to their communities. As human civilization initiated in Sumer, southern Mesopotamia (now Egypt) they declined due to the overuse of natural resources. Sumer cities had mainly concentrated on agriculture leading to surplus, which developed its economy and agriculture itself. Consequently, growth of population was enabled which the increase of laborers and prompting the construction of the irrigation system. However, the deforestation and the overuse of the irrigation system due to the unstoppable expansion of human population led to the raised soil salinity. Ultimately, the raised soil salinity alleviated the agricultural production, which became one of the main factors of declining civilization. As evidence states, from the year 2100BC~1600BC, the population of Sumer was reduced by 60 percent. Similarly, the Mayans, Aniasazi have declined due to the neglect of the sustainable use of resources. In the year 1798, an English economist Thomas Malthus had argued the rate of population increase is going to far outrun the world’s rate of food supply. In one of Malthus’ essay, it states that the population had increased geometrically, while the food supply had increased arithmetically concluding that the demand for resources would collide against the potential the world consists of producing food. This assertion had soon created supports arguing that characteristics of the population growth today had become more threatening due to Malthus’ failure to anticipate the minor developing countries had rapider growth of population according to the demographic transition. During the era when Malthus had led to controversy, the English population had been nimbly increasing and the society itself had high restriction on grain imports. The whole assertion happened not to be valid, however bestowing people in support of the assertion evidence to argue that Malthus’ assertion was partially correct. Ultimately, Malthus was seeking for efficient ways for the sustainable use of natural resources. The advancement of technology and the industrial revolution during the 18th to 20th century had caused economists to be concerned about the possible depletion of resources such as fossil fuels, and coal. This technological movement had caused the exponential increase of human consumption regarding to natural resources. In the 1930s, economists such as Hotelling and Hartwick developed rules of sustainability of welfare, and the management of non-renewable resources. 1.2. Recent developments Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) initiated in RIO+20, suggests specific goals desiring the eradication of adversity in Earth, and to make a better place for humans to live. SDG includes: The eradication of poverty, hunger, insurance of healthy lives, quality education, gender equality, access to affordable modern energy, availability of sustainable management of water and sanitation, promotion of sustainable economic growth and productive employment, construction of resilient infrastructure, promoting inclusive and sustainable industrialization, reducing inequalities between countries, ensuring surveillance and sustainability for cities, ensuring sustainable consumption, combatting climate change, conservation of the ocean, protection of terrestrial ecosystems, promoting peaceful and inclusive societies, and strengthening the means of implementation. All of these goals lead to sustainable development, which many of them relate to resource management. These sustainable development goals have specific sub-goals, which are to be achieved by the year 2030. SDG applies on all nation states to promote for the development of the human society. The United Nations Environmental Programme established the International Resource Panel (IRP) to give independent reliable assessments of the use of natural resources worldwide. The IRP had urged to promote the effective utilization of natural resources by advocating the sustainable development goals mentioned above. Based on the goals being proposed on various natural resources such as food, water, and energy the IRP has submitted scientific researches and reports to the world, in attempt to reach SDG, which motivated the panel. 2. Emphasis of the discourse Includes the following: 2.1. Right wing approach Conservative politicians majorly considering the Republican Party, or any conservative party in a democratic government, seek humans as the most vulnerable resource environmentally. Conservative politicians back away from change and tend to be alert unless there is a solid evidence to show that the change is actually worth to be utilized. The Republican Party believes in environmental policies, which are made for the needs of localities, which are legitimate for them along by focusing on succeeding their processes to achieving the desired results. The American Republican Party supports the development of renewable energy sources. Nevertheless, the American Republican Party is defiant if the taxpayers would have to pay for the energy sources. The Republican Party’s perspective conveys an attempt to promote the sustainable use of resources without hindering the country’s economy. However, the lack of monetary use may hinder the development of renewable energy, which may be crucial in promoting the sustainable use of resources. Some conservative thinkers agree with liberals on attempting to preserve the Earth, and its natural resources. However, the conservative thinkers disagree on the ways of preserving the Earth. They view that natural resources are being utilized “to the point of exhausted”, and desiring to enhance privatized rights to the various sources where natural resources are produced prominently. 2.2. Left wing approach Liberal politicians such as the Democrat Party had advocated on the development of renewable energy resources. In contrary to the Republican Party, the Democrats had favored the development of new energy technology, reducing oil reliance, and exploring natural gas and seeking for an alternate fuel for coal. The major difference between the Democrat Party and the Republican Party was the remedy they each had to provide support. Democrats supported coal and natural gas however, were opposing to the usage of oil. The Democrats criticized major oil companies by stating Americans should shorten their reliance on oil. Democrats were in favor of coal, which was environmentally responsible and sufficient. In addition, both the Republican Party and the Democrat Party had conveyed the importance of alternative energy, however, the Democrat Party was willing to provide monetary support through tax, promoting alternative fuels. The Liberals find the burning of coal and fossil fuels impacts human livelihood either directly or indirectly, which makes them seriously consider about alternating the medium for fuels. 2.3. Stance of intergovernmental organizations The international resource panel (IRP) created by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) in the year 2007, concentrates on the links between economic growth and environmental degradation. The IRP seeks solutions based on evidence such as the statistics of the Global Footprint Network. Some of the needs the IRP finds urgent is the reduction of the volume of resources used worldwide, doing ‘more with less’, lifting efficiency and improving rates of recycling, using resources in ways that cause less harm to the environment, decoupling economic growth from environmental impacts, developing new ways to use scarce resources more efficiently, and moving the world towards a ‘green economy’. The steering committee members of the IRP includes Canada, Chile, China, Denmark, Egypt, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Russian Federation, South Africa, Switzerland, Tanzania, and USA. The IRP had investigated critical issues along with solutions such as ‘International Trade in Resources: A Biophysical Assessment’ (2015) for government policymakers, industry, and society. 2.4. Stance of developed countries Norway: In Norway, there are vibrant forests, which needs sustainable utilization in order to not spoil the environment, and utilize them efficiently. Hence, Norway decided to initiate a project in the year 2013, emphasizing areas with low accessibility, steep and difficult terrain, and fragmented forests. The objective of this project is to provide data on increasing wood flow in Norway concerning various sectors such as social, economical, and environmental. Canada: In Canada, economic activity majorly depends on its natural resources. Several industries directly depend on Canada’s natural resources such as forestry, agriculture, fisheries, and aquaculture. As of in 2011, 1.9% of Canada’s total GDP depended on Canada’s forest sector, including logging, pulp, paper, and wood products. In 2010, $7.4 billion were the insignificant values of products for aquaculture, consisting 85,000 employees. Therefore, insufficient management of these resources could threaten Canada’s economy as it depends so much on the resources. Canada’s goals of sustainable use are urging to conserve its landscape, marine areas, and wild species. European Union: The EU and the UN came together to create a multi-agency EU-UN Partnership. The UN agencies and the EU’s Instrument for stability have worked together to benefit from the World Bank and the OECD to create on-line training modules to assist nation states in identifying certain policies to prevent conflicts which may happen over natural resources. Their goal is to aim at more effective use of natural resources throughout the 25 years initiating from December 2005. One of the EU’s strategies to reduce the negative impact of the use of natural resources was replacing resources causing pollutions with alternatives. 2.5. Stance of developing countries Honduras: Honduras forestry law accompanied by the national forest program has initiated the framework for the sustainable management of ecosystems. As local actors assist on protecting natural resources, they are limited on implementation and management capacities. The national institutors needs more power in order to be able to support the local actors. Hence, Honduras’ objective is preserving the ecosystem and sustainably utilizing natural resources along with the local actors. Niger: Niger receives support from the UNDP, and adopted a “Charter of Good Governance” establishing basic legislations, committing to support in taking control of mineral resources. In the year 2010, Niger’s Constitution demands publications of natural resource contracts and revenues through a segregated way. Niger currently has a strategic goal for mobilizing and allocating various resources from agriculture and livestock, to develop rural credit systems, which could promote the sustainable sharing of benefits of biodiversity. 3. Possible solutions Includes the following: 3.1. In favor of developed countries Developed countries have fewer limitations on available resources, money, and technology, enabling them to take in burdening solutions, leading to rapid results. In developed countries, the alternation of several polluting resources such as coal and fossil fuels, to renewable resources such as solar, wind, biomass energy would benefit a country’s environment, and efficiency considering the vast amount of energy solar and wind energy could produce. Furthermore, countries could initiate projects relating to the conservation of natural resources for the future. In case of depletion, or an epidemic crisis, situations would not cause a major deviation if there were enough ‘seeds’ stored for the future. Sustainable use of natural resources may happen only under the circumstance where natural resources itself are able to flourish. Hence, countries could seek for ways of increasing the amount of production for natural products in ways such as utilizing fertilizers. 3.2. In favor of developing countries In developing countries, they have a limitation on various aspects, which makes them less flexible. So the resolution may concentrate on increasing flexibility in many different ways. Some ways would be calling out for organizations to do a transparency investigation every once a while to behold whether any manipulation in the production of natural resources is happening. Since it is usually the developing countries which covering up the bases of the transparency measure, they are especially vulnerable from corruption and manipulation of data or profit. Furthermore having the chances of threatening the country’s economy itself, and being a clear example of demoting the sustainable use of natural resources. Another solution would be the protection of natural resources itself from any kind of factor, which may lead to harm. The protection could happen by reducing pollution, creating boundaries for protected areas, etc. In order for developing countries to accomplish any kind of solution more efficiently, they would need to seek for monetary support from a certain organization to receive the funding for any kinds of solutions, which requires monetary burden. 4. Keep in mind the following How would the promotion of natural resources differ in different stances? What is the difference between sustainable use and sustainable development? What is the difference between natural resources and artificial resources? How could developing countries be flexible enough to bear burdening solutions? 5. Evaluation Natural resources are anything nature provides to human beings, which humans could successfully utilize. Humans have been gifted with the vast spectrum of natural resources available to us. However, as human population increase, and are limitations to some of the widely used natural resources, nation states have to be adaptable enough to combat crisis of any kind. As the United Nations spent effort in various ways such as forming the International Resource Panel, countries have spent effort to benefit their economy through projects regarding the sustainable use of natural resources. 6. Bibliography "Background." International Resource Panel. United Nations Environmental Programme, n.d. Web. 24 Jan. 2016. Brodwin, David. US News. U.S.News& World Report, n.d. Web. 24 Jan. 2016. Clark, Agatha. 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