Sustainable Energy in Developing Countries - United Nations Environment Programme

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Vancouver Model

United Nations The 11 th Annual Conference January 20 22, 2012

Background GuideUnited Nations Environmental Programme


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Vancouver Model United Nations

The 11 th Annual Conference January 20 22 , 2012

Dear Delegates,

My name is Marco Wong and it brings me joy to serve as director or the UnitedNations Environmental Programme at Vancouver Model United Nations 2012. Iam currently attending Semiahmoo Secondary in South Surrey as a grade 12 studentand have discovered a keen interest or world politics. My frst ever con erence as adelegate was actually here at VMUN 2010, two years ago, and I attended as adelegate again last year because I appreciated the high level o debate; hope ully you too will enjoy this committee, regardless o the amount o experience you have.

I hope that you wil l enjoy debating on the two topics or this committee that my

sta and I have chosen; both are extremely relevant to the ever-changing world thatwe live in. Te two topics o discussion in UNEP this year will be: Marine andCoastal Ecosystems and Sustainable Energy in Developing Countries.

In opic A, Marine and Coastal Ecosystems, you will have to examine thenumerous concerns related to these environments, especially at a time whenclimate change seems inevitable. Delegates are encouraged to think creatively about relevant issues relating to these ecosystems when doing their research; the BPoil spill crisis in the Gul Coast might be a good place to start. opic B, SustainableEnergy in Developing Countries will be challenging as it could polarize the

committee, splitting between the more economically developed and the lesseconomically developed nations. While the UN has hosted number o summitsdedicated to tackling the issue o the enhanced greenhouse gas e ect, nothingconcrete has yet been established. Delegates are encouraged to think about how asolution agreeable to all nations might be achieved; a good place to start would beto look at previous documents such as the Cancun Accord and the CopenhagenAccord, and the Kyoto Protocol.

While this is an environmental committee, there are a number o aspects to theseissues that transcend simply that, and it is up to delegates to fnd a resolution thatbenefts all. I wish you the best o luck in your research and look orward to hearingsome top-notch, stimulating debate.

Best Regards,

Marco Wong Director, United Nations Environmental Programme

Hafz DhananiSecretary-General

Yeoman LiangDirector-General

Alex LinCon erence Director

Zach HauserChie o Sta &

Under-Secretary-GeneralCommittees

Amelia Casey Under-Secretary-General

Committees

Stuart WarrenUnder-Secretary-General

Delegate A airs

David ChoiUnder-Secretary-General

In ormation echnology Johnny Brynelsen

Under-Secretary-GeneralMarketing

Jenni er YoonUnder-Secretary-General

Marketing

Azzra MangaljiUnder-Secretary-General

Sponsorship


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Vancouver Model United Nations 2012

United Nations Environmental Programme

Topic B: Sustainable Energy in Developing Countries

IntroductionSustainable energy entails renewable energy and energy e ciency, and is seen as a way to provide ampleenergy to the current human generation without compromising uture generations. Sustainable energy di ers rom terms such as green energy because the ultimate goal o sustainable energy is not to stoppollution, but rather to have energy-production methods that will not impact the environment to such adegree that they can no longer be utilized.

Te International Energy Agency typically divides sustainable energy into three generations. Te frstgeneration emerged towards the end o the 1800s and includes hydropower and geothermal power.Hydroelectric dams are o en used or hydropower, and this technology is o en praised or producingrelatively ew emissions. Despite their problems, such as displacing people and producing large amounts

o CO 2 emissions during construction, hydropower dams are becoming increasingly popular in Asia andparticularly in China, currently the largest producer o hydroelectricity in the world. Geothermal energy can operate 24 hours a day, but can only be harnessed in abundance in certain regions including theUnited States, Central America, Indonesia, East A rica, and the Philippines. In addition, uids drawnrom the deep earth (like CO 2) may contribute to acid rain and climate change. Tere is also a certain risk in pursuing this technology, as it involves drilling and exploration even in the United States, there still isa 20% ailure rate when conducting these geothermal-energy explorations. echnology is also currently being developed to provide geothermal energy in places previously unable to do so; however, it isunlikely that this technology can be cheaply adapted in developing countries.

Second-generation technologies include solar power and wind energy and are widely promoted becauseo their environmental benefts. Tese technologies are not as well-established as the frst generation, butare entering markets. Some limiting actors may be a lack o adequate sunlight and wind in certain regions,not to mention the high costs o these technologies. Nevertheless, use o second-generation sustainable-energy technologies are rapidly growing in Brazil, China, Argentina, Costa Rica, and many otherdeveloping countries.

Tird-generation technologies are still under development. Many o these advanced technologies includeadvanced biomass gasifcation, concentrated solar thermal power, Hot Dry Rock geothermal power, andtidal energy. Tese technologies still require extensive research, and their costs will most likely hinder

developing countries rom utilizing them.Importance of Sustainable Energy Sustainable energy can o en be a good choice or developing countries because the transmission o ossiluels can be expensive. Sustainable energy can also be used or poverty alleviation by creating businessand employment. Renewable energy also prevents prolonged exposure to carbon monoxide rom indoorbiomass heating according to the WHO, over 2.4 million people currently die or su er rom diseasesprematurely due to carbon monoxide.


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Success StoriesAccording to the Renewables 2010 Global Status Report, 45 developing countries have renewable energy targets. Much attention is ocused on China, India and Brazil or their developments. A particularly popular strategy is the eed-in-tari , which is a guarantee that renewable energy companies will be ab leto sell the electricity they generate at a price set be orehand by the government. Over 78 countries andstates have adopted this strategy.

BarriersTe key actor that hinders the development o new technologies is cost. Clean power technologies are notyet at ull price parity with ossil uels, so even good policies may orce poor citizens to pay an additionalcost. Even with good policies, developing countries o en do not have su cient domestic investmentcapital. It is important or international bodies, like the World Bank, to step in here to provide fnancialmobilization. In addition, many developing countries do not have ull access to data and methodologies.More in ormation on the specifc cost o implementing renewable energy must be made readily available.Managing a national grid with multiple sources o energy is also a challenge. Countries need ableengineers who can install, maintain, and manage grids.

Timeline200 BC Europeans harness power using water mills.

1860 Te frst solar power system is developed in France.

1888 Te frst windmill to generate electricity is opened.

1921 Te worlds frst geothermal power plant is built.

1957 Te frst commercial nuclear plant opens.

1970s Te cost o solar cells is lowered and becomes more widespread.


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1992 Brazils frst wind turbine is built.

2007 17% o Chinas energy is renewable.

2009 85.4% o Brazils energy is renewable.

Historical AnalysisEver since the Industrial Revolution, as machines took the place o humans and animals and as massproduction became the popular trend, energy has been in demand. Tose who had access to energy profted more and grew stronger economically. Tose who did not have access or had relatively littleaccess to plenti ul sources o energy either weakened or remained stagnant economically. Tis caused awidening in the wealth gap between the rich and the poor, where the advantaged became richer and thedisadvantaged became poorer.

Te main source o energy relied on or the economic boom or numerous countries as time progressedwere the ossil uels. Relatively cheap and easy to obtain, ossil uels such as coal, natural gas, and oil were

used by the majority to maximize profts. For the most part, this method worked, as more economically-developed countries like the United States became powerhouses on the international stage. However,what was overlooked during this process was the impact on our environment. Although or a long timeenvironmental concerns were cast aside and sacrifced or economic growth, the e ects began to be clearin the orm o , or instance, acid rain and global warming.

In 1988, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change was created to research cl imate change and tocreate a list o recommendations or member nations in the United Nations to ollow. Following this werenumerous Con erence o the Parties meetings, in which nations rom around the world gathered todiscuss individual and collective goals to be met by certain dates. For instance, a er the Kyoto protocol,Canada committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions o 1990 levels by 25% by 2020 and by 80% by 2050. Similarly, numerous other countries also made verbal commitments to reduce their emissions inorder to combat the global environmental threat.

Although countries are researching renewable technologies, subsidizing wind, solar, hydro, geothermal,and biomass development, the majority o the worlds energy still comes rom ossil uels. As a result, 21out o 38 industrialized countries are not expected to meet their Kyoto targets. Canada is 32% above theirtarget, New Zealand; 22%, United States; 22% and Japan; 20%. Nonetheless, because nothing legally binding was instituted, countries were not legally obligated to meet their commitments; in act, the UnitedStates withdrew in 2001 rom their original agreement without acing any consequences. Meetings thatollowed in Copenhagen and Cancun did not produce any legally-binding agreements either.

Current SituationNon-proft organizations and other environmentalists have criticized the apathetic attitude and apparentcomplacency o many countries with regards to meeting their targets, and are urging concrete action tocombat climate change.


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In response, a new approach has been thought up; countries may reduce emissions in other countries viasustainability projects, and substitute those results in or cutting emissions in their own country. Tismethod allows developed countries to continue polluting in their own region so long as they clean upelsewhere. As o July 21, 2008, there are 1128 registered projects, reducing the equivalent o approximately 220 million tons o carbon dioxide each year.

o the industrialized countries this is a double victory, as they get to continue their environmentally-damaging actions while meeting their commitments, helping other countries, and gaining a positivepublic image in the eyes o the world. Although these countries are developed and economically sustainable, many among them ear that they will lose their economic power and be overtaken by smallernations, especially in an age where newly-industrialized countries such as China, India, Brazil and SouthA rica are racing to the top at a rapid pace. o many, it seems only air that every country move away romossil uels rather than what many developing nations suggest that the more economically developedlead the green movement.

o those less economically-developed countries, though, having developed nations reduce emissions intheir territory is less benefcial. Although developed nations can now look to address the environmentalconcerns, they may not have the privilege to do so. Countries struggling to meet the needs o theirpopulation and trying to grow economical ly need to continue to use ossil uels or cost-e cient energy.Using renewable sources o energy involves spending money that they do not have access to. Until they become industrialized like other countries around the world, the environment will always be o secondary concern. Another point o en made is that the developed nations o today got to where they areby using ossil uels; thus it would be un air or these same countries to try to ban the use o ossil uels oreconomic growth. I the plan was to reduce the use o ossil uels, developing and undeveloped countrieso en eel that it would have to be those who relied on this technology to show them the way.

Because o these links, and a number o other internal actors that delegates should research, UN membernations fnd themselves in a deadlock. Te task at hand or delegates is to fnd solutions that can beimplemented by all countries: those that are developed, those that are on the verge o development, andeven those that are ar rom economic sustainabil ity. Although there may be ideas around the Internetsuggesting what can be done to solve this dilemma, no comprehensive solution has yet to be ound, whichmeans that this issue remains unsolved by the world even now. Delegates are urged to think innovatively and creatively, to research potentially groundbreaking solutions that are only recently bearing ruit, andto ponder the potential implications o the various roads or all nations. It is up to the delegates o VMUN2012s UNEP to solve what no agreement or treaty has been able to up till now.

UN Involvement1. Te establishment o the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) rom the Kyoto Protocol under

Article 12:i. Allows a country with an emission-reduction or emission-limitation commitment under

the Kyoto Protocol (Annex B Party) to implement an emission-reduction project indeveloping countries.


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ii. States that one o the CDMs goals is to stimulate sustainable development and emissionreductions.

2. Te United Nations General Assembly resolution A/RES/64/206 adopted in March 11 th 2010:i. Calls upon governments to take urther actions to mobilise the provision o fnancial

resources. .. to developing countries and countries with economies in transition.. . to aidthe development o sustainable energy.

3. Te United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)s various regional projects in attempting toprovide and develop sustainable energy, such as:

i. MLW/98/007, the National Sustainable and Renewable Energy Programme project inMalawi in year 2000.

ii. And the National Strategy and Action Plan on New and Renewable Energies (NER/02/M04) in Niger, which had cost more than US$222,300.

iii. Te GLO/96/109 Sustainable Energy Global Programme o 1996.

4. Te Johannesburg Plan o Implementation III, changing unsustainable patterns o consumption:i. Article 20 (n): to provide fnancial resources to developing countries, in particular

least developed countries and small island developing States, to meet their capacity needs or training, technical know-how and strengthening national institutions inreliable, a ordable, economically viable, socially acceptable and environmentally sound energy, ... renewable energy and advanced energy technologies.

ii. Article 19 (a): Provide support or the development o sustainable developmentstrategies and programmes, including in decision-making on investment inin rastructure and business development.

Possible Solutions & ControversiesCurrently, there exist many alternative energy sources that are much more sustainable and be tter or theenvironment than are commonly-used sources such as natural gases, ossil uels, and the like. Althoughthese alternative sources o energy may seem to be the obvious solution or our problem, a major setback in the implementation o sustainable energy in developing nations is the lack o economic means withwhich to begin such a program. During this con erence, delegates should ocus on not only fnding othermeans o sustainable energy, but also ways to make these means fscally viable to the developing countriesthat may also be su ering rom poverty and other socio-economic issues.

One type o energy commonly used in lieu o other, less environmentally riendly types is hydropower.Hydroelectricity is derived rom a system in which alling or running water creates energy. Tis energy then powers a turbine connected to a generator, which converts the mechanical energy provided by themovement o the water to electricity. Although hydropower is especially help ul to smaller ruralcommunities, which may have resorted to diesel power i it were not or hydroelectricity, larger projectso en cause damage to local water systems and must be extremely care ully planned.


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A second type o sustainable energy is wind power. Wind power is similar to hydropower in that bothsystems have mechanical energy converting into electricity that we can use in our daily lives. However,wind power, instead o using water, uses energy rom the air to power the turbines built in large felds,otherwise known as wind arms. Depending on the area, wind power is relatively e cient and e ective,as well as having almost negligible environmental impact. However, wind power is di cult to implement

because o the visual e ect on the landscape that may deter many citizens rom accepting it; in addition,the cost o building the turbines has escalated with the e c iency o the machines. Currently, the continento Europe holds 48% o all the worlds wind arms.

Another interesting and more controversial alternative to ossil uels is biomass energy. Biomass isessentially the conversion o renewable organic material to usable energy. A ew examples o organicmaterial used in biomass energy are animal waste, agricultural residue and municipal waste. Tis system,which utilizes the principles o photosynthesis, releases an equal amount o carbon dioxide into theatmosphere as the burning o ossil uels, but does not contribute as much to greenhouse gases becausethe carbon dioxide released by biomass is di erent rom that o the ossil uels, and can be neutralized by

other gases in the air. In addition, biomass is completely renewable, since the amount o waste expendedby society will always be available to consume as energy. Un ortunately, biomass energy requires a hugeinput o time and money, and in order to make sure the system is environmentally riendly care must betaken; consequently many steps are needed and the process may become too complicated.

Alternative energy programs in developing countries have had much di culty, because o two key actorsthat impede their growth. For one, cost is a huge actor, even more so or these nations those do not have alot o money at their disposal . Even though these energy systems are highly sustainable in terms o energy,they are not as viable in terms o cost o implementation and yearly upkeep. Since the cost is so di cult tomaintain, it is then a concern that as it becomes harder and harder to pay the costs, sa ety regulations may

not be met, which would cause danger to the community supplied with the energy in the frst place. oattempt to meet the costs, developing countries would most likely need to accept aid rom outsideagencies, such as non-governmental groups or other nations. However, this may lead to even morecomplications related to tied aid or other conditions.

In addition, some types o sustainable energy may be considered less e cient than the burning o ossiluels, or the usage o natural gas. At the moment, wind power or solar power, even at their greateste ciency, still cannot compare with the energy produced by less sustainable sources. Because o this,some developing countries remain reluctant to invest in sustainable energy that does not compare to thecurrent systems e c iency.

Bloc PositionsMajor developing countries currently committed to implementing new sustainable energy programsinclude Brazil, which is described as a bio-energy superpower because it produces a massive amount o sugar-cane ethanol; China, one o whose goals include energy security on the way to economic stability;and India, which has dedicated an entire branch o its government (the Ministry o New and RenewableEnergy) to this issue. Other developing countries that have declared themselves in support o sustainableenergy include Pakistan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Costa Rica, Georgia, and Jordan.


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Nonetheless, due to the economic implications o turning to sustainable energy, numerous countries stillconsider the environment as a secondary to more imminent issues.

Discussion Questions1. How can international bodies, such as the UNEP and World Bank, help developing countries

increase their sustainable energy usage?2. What are the barriers to increased development o renewable energy in the developing world and

how can these issues be addressed?3. Which policies have been seen to be most e ective in developing countries and how can they be

replicated in other countries?4. Should developing countries put priority on renewable energy even with additional costs?5. Which types o sustainable energy would be most e ective or your specifc country?

Additional Resources

http://www.unep.org/ecosystemmanagement/UNEPsWork/MarineandCoastalEcosystems/tabid/513/Deault.aspx

United Nations Environmental Programmehttp://un ccc.int/2860.php

United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Changehttp://www.un.org/esa/sustdev/sdissues/technology/est4.htm

United Nations Division or Sustainable Developmenthttp://www.ewb-international.org/

Engineers Without Bordershttps://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world- actbook/

CIA Factbook

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Sustainable Energy in Developing Countries - United Nations Environment Programme