The mission of the UNEP is “To provide leadership and encourage partnership in caring for the environment by inspiring, informing, and enabling nations and peoples to improve their quality of life without compromising that of future generations.” This committee goal is to create a resolution that recognizes forms of renewable energy that conform and abide by the 7th and 8th (ensures environmental sustainability and global partnership for development) millenium goals. Delegates will collaborate with each other’s to benefit the agendas of the committee and the delegates themselves.
Please scroll down to find the Briefing Papers for each committee.
United Nations Environment Programme (Beginner/Intermediate) (Begin
Promoting renewable energies
It is clear that fossil fuel based energy causes harm to the environment, and there are already alternatives that cause less or no harm. The problem that is prevalent throughout the world is the supply and logistics of renewable energies. Many under-developed countries have insufficient resources and technology to properly use renewable energy. The United Nations has the power to set standards for cleaner energy sources and ultimately make renewable energies a universal infrastructure. The goal of this committee is to make plans and protocols for the more efficient global use of cleaner energies.
United Nations Environment Programme 2 (Beginner/Intermediate)
International waters and responsible environmental governance
Unlike land limits, marine international borders couldn’t be any more unclear. Just until 2014, the marine boundaries between Perú and Chile were not defined. The oceans, being rich in soil nutrients and marine life, are hugely responsible for several countries’ economy. The main issue with marine boundaries, is that they are not static, fisheries move from geographical region to geographic region, never anchored. As a result, a nation that exploits its territory, may affects the one beside. Some private companies take advantage of this ambiguity, and harm the environment.. Should they extract all the fish while its on their domain, or should they extract a portion and let the rest for the sustainability of the environment? Loopholes in the law allow for this type of exploitation and abuse, and it is therefore crucial for the United Nations to intervene.
As the global economy continues to grow, the governments of different countries around the globe are starting to look increasingly at deep sea mining in order to attain the materials needed to meet the increasing demands of the ever-growing world population. Large quantities of copper, manganese, cobalt and rare earth metals can be found offshore, and there are multiple countries, such as the United Kingdom, China, Japan, South Korea and Canada, that have already been granted contracts by the International Seabed Authority to mine in specific areas where these minerals can be found. However, an important point that must be taken into consideration is the environmental toll this extraction process could take. Deep sea mining has the potential to both disturb and destroy rare communities of marine life-forms, such as hydrothermal vents and cold-water corals. Another concern is about the safety of whole systems planned for recovering the minerals, such as boats and heavy equipment, as they pollute the waters they are operating in with unwanted chemical and further endanger life forms. Even still, these points will do little to convince the different governments of the world to get involved with deep sea mining. The price in metal is rising, and it appears that the ore content of the nodules of copper, manganese, cobalt and rare earth metals on the ocean floor are about ten times greater than the richest ones on land. This makes the retrieval cost of these ores extremely provocative to countries. What now needs to be done is to come up with the most efficient solution to all of these problems so that there is virtually no environmental impact in deep sea mining.
Our oceans have five main gyres, systems of water rotating in a cyclic manner, whose movements allow them to collect garbage – mainly plastics, debris and chemicals – and keep them there. 80% of said garbage comes from land, the rest from ships making their way through them. The most well-known case is the Great Pacific Garbage Patch and many rumors have circulated around the internet about it, like the fact that it can be seen from Google Earth, false, or that it is a fixed island that grows as time passes, also false. But what is true is that the area ranges between 700 000 km2 and 15 000 000 km2 depending on how it is measured. In 2012, a coalition between Algalita and 5 Gyres launched an expedition to study plastic pollution in it, and discovered that of the 1.5 million Laysan Albatrosses living in Midway – an area affected by the Pacific Gyre – nearly all have plastic particles inside their digestive systems. As 5 Gyres stated, plastics are “made to last forever” but “designed to throw away”. The main problem, from a legal standpoint at the very least, is that no country is legally responsible for them, so none have stepped up so far to solve the issue.
Ecology and Environment (Intermediate)
Illegal mining
What is Illegal Mining: Any extractive activity that does not fully comply with the law on the jurisdiction on which it operates. Typically small scale operations (even though bigger operations do exist), illegal mining endeavours tend to operate in distant areas where law enforcement by the state is either weak or non-existent. Illegal Mining is a considerable world-wide problem, ranging from Tin mining in Indonesia, to Gold in Peru’s Amazon, and Blood Diamonds in Central Africa. The Kimberly process aimed to stop the flow of blood diamonds, but vast amounts of work still needs to be done in order to rid the planet of such destructive enterprise.
Political (Intermediate/Advanced)
Carbon Footprint and the Implementation of International Carbon Tax
Over 85% of the primary energy in the world comes from fossil fuels, all of which contain elevated amounts of carbon. Firstly, carbon’s utmost benefit relies on its great efficiency as an energy source; however, it is considered one of the most contaminant source of energy. Coal is the most efficient yet most contaminant fossil fuel, and together with petroleum has been considered a topic of debate regarding the implementation of measures to correct its amplified use.
The United Nations has released in their yearly "Objective and Themes of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development " that their Track 7 objective is to provide financial incentives to reduce pollution. This can be done by providing both subsidies for Environmentally Sustainable companies and products, and implementing taxes on unsustainable ones. Different positions regarding this topic have been established by nations all around the world. While there are various environmental benefits, this has also sparked debate on whether this can distort markets. Although the International Carbon Tax has not been fully implemented, some countries have taken the initiative whereas others have retracted.
Delegates are expected to perform deep research on their countries’ official position regarding this issue. Furthermore, substantial investigation must be done regarding the topic of the Implementation of International Carbon Tax; this includes but is not limited to: foregoing and ongoing measures implemented in the United Nations and at a national level, recent updates and news, and relevant events. Delegates are strongly encouraged to prepare position papers stating the countries view on the issue and measures taken. Please visit the committee’s brief to access further information regarding the topic.
Crisis Committee (Advanced)
Fukushima Daiichi Disaster
Nuclear power has always been a contentious issue. Harnessing the most potentially destructive force known to man for our own benefit carries very serious risks. These worries were only exacerbated when, on the 11th of March, 2011, three reactors of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Ōkuma, Japan, as a result of the Tōhoku Earthquake. In this crisis committee, delegates will have the opportunity to affect the flow of events and ensure that a solution to the crisis is found. Furthermore, delegates will discuss the future of nuclear energy policy and its viability in the 21st century.
Briefing Papers:
Please scroll down to find the Briefing Papers for each committee.
United Nations Environment Programme (Beginner/Intermediate) (Begin
Promoting renewable energies
It is clear that fossil fuel based energy causes harm to the environment, and there are already alternatives that cause less or no harm. The problem that is prevalent throughout the world is the supply and logistics of renewable energies. Many under-developed countries have insufficient resources and technology to properly use renewable energy. The United Nations has the power to set standards for cleaner energy sources and ultimately make renewable energies a universal infrastructure. The goal of this committee is to make plans and protocols for the more efficient global use of cleaner energies.
United Nations Environment Programme 2 (Beginner/Intermediate)
International waters and responsible environmental governance
Unlike land limits, marine international borders couldn’t be any more unclear. Just until 2014, the marine boundaries between Perú and Chile were not defined. The oceans, being rich in soil nutrients and marine life, are hugely responsible for several countries’ economy. The main issue with marine boundaries, is that they are not static, fisheries move from geographical region to geographic region, never anchored. As a result, a nation that exploits its territory, may affects the one beside. Some private companies take advantage of this ambiguity, and harm the environment.. Should they extract all the fish while its on their domain, or should they extract a portion and let the rest for the sustainability of the environment? Loopholes in the law allow for this type of exploitation and abuse, and it is therefore crucial for the United Nations to intervene.
As the global economy continues to grow, the governments of different countries around the globe are starting to look increasingly at deep sea mining in order to attain the materials needed to meet the increasing demands of the ever-growing world population. Large quantities of copper, manganese, cobalt and rare earth metals can be found offshore, and there are multiple countries, such as the United Kingdom, China, Japan, South Korea and Canada, that have already been granted contracts by the International Seabed Authority to mine in specific areas where these minerals can be found. However, an important point that must be taken into consideration is the environmental toll this extraction process could take. Deep sea mining has the potential to both disturb and destroy rare communities of marine life-forms, such as hydrothermal vents and cold-water corals. Another concern is about the safety of whole systems planned for recovering the minerals, such as boats and heavy equipment, as they pollute the waters they are operating in with unwanted chemical and further endanger life forms. Even still, these points will do little to convince the different governments of the world to get involved with deep sea mining. The price in metal is rising, and it appears that the ore content of the nodules of copper, manganese, cobalt and rare earth metals on the ocean floor are about ten times greater than the richest ones on land. This makes the retrieval cost of these ores extremely provocative to countries. What now needs to be done is to come up with the most efficient solution to all of these problems so that there is virtually no environmental impact in deep sea mining.
Our oceans have five main gyres, systems of water rotating in a cyclic manner, whose movements allow them to collect garbage – mainly plastics, debris and chemicals – and keep them there. 80% of said garbage comes from land, the rest from ships making their way through them. The most well-known case is the Great Pacific Garbage Patch and many rumors have circulated around the internet about it, like the fact that it can be seen from Google Earth, false, or that it is a fixed island that grows as time passes, also false. But what is true is that the area ranges between 700 000 km2 and 15 000 000 km2 depending on how it is measured. In 2012, a coalition between Algalita and 5 Gyres launched an expedition to study plastic pollution in it, and discovered that of the 1.5 million Laysan Albatrosses living in Midway – an area affected by the Pacific Gyre – nearly all have plastic particles inside their digestive systems. As 5 Gyres stated, plastics are “made to last forever” but “designed to throw away”. The main problem, from a legal standpoint at the very least, is that no country is legally responsible for them, so none have stepped up so far to solve the issue.
Ecology and Environment (Intermediate)
Illegal mining
What is Illegal Mining: Any extractive activity that does not fully comply with the law on the jurisdiction on which it operates. Typically small scale operations (even though bigger operations do exist), illegal mining endeavours tend to operate in distant areas where law enforcement by the state is either weak or non-existent. Illegal Mining is a considerable world-wide problem, ranging from Tin mining in Indonesia, to Gold in Peru’s Amazon, and Blood Diamonds in Central Africa. The Kimberly process aimed to stop the flow of blood diamonds, but vast amounts of work still needs to be done in order to rid the planet of such destructive enterprise.
Political (Intermediate/Advanced)
Carbon Footprint and the Implementation of International Carbon Tax
Over 85% of the primary energy in the world comes from fossil fuels, all of which contain elevated amounts of carbon. Firstly, carbon’s utmost benefit relies on its great efficiency as an energy source; however, it is considered one of the most contaminant source of energy. Coal is the most efficient yet most contaminant fossil fuel, and together with petroleum has been considered a topic of debate regarding the implementation of measures to correct its amplified use.
The United Nations has released in their yearly "Objective and Themes of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development " that their Track 7 objective is to provide financial incentives to reduce pollution. This can be done by providing both subsidies for Environmentally Sustainable companies and products, and implementing taxes on unsustainable ones. Different positions regarding this topic have been established by nations all around the world. While there are various environmental benefits, this has also sparked debate on whether this can distort markets. Although the International Carbon Tax has not been fully implemented, some countries have taken the initiative whereas others have retracted.
Delegates are expected to perform deep research on their countries’ official position regarding this issue. Furthermore, substantial investigation must be done regarding the topic of the Implementation of International Carbon Tax; this includes but is not limited to: foregoing and ongoing measures implemented in the United Nations and at a national level, recent updates and news, and relevant events. Delegates are strongly encouraged to prepare position papers stating the countries view on the issue and measures taken. Please visit the committee’s brief to access further information regarding the topic.
Crisis Committee (Advanced)
Fukushima Daiichi Disaster
Nuclear power has always been a contentious issue. Harnessing the most potentially destructive force known to man for our own benefit carries very serious risks. These worries were only exacerbated when, on the 11th of March, 2011, three reactors of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Ōkuma, Japan, as a result of the Tōhoku Earthquake. In this crisis committee, delegates will have the opportunity to affect the flow of events and ensure that a solution to the crisis is found. Furthermore, delegates will discuss the future of nuclear energy policy and its viability in the 21st century.
Briefing Papers:
clima_unep_1.pdf | |
File Size: | 236 kb |
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clima_unep_2.pdf | |
File Size: | 403 kb |
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clima_ecology_and_enviornment.pdf | |
File Size: | 191 kb |
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clima_political.pdf | |
File Size: | 1495 kb |
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clima_crisis.pdf | |
File Size: | 184 kb |
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