U2NESCO 2016
UNITED NATIONS ENVIRONMENT & SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT COMITTEE
CHAIR REPORT
Committee: Environment & Sustainable Development
Agenda: Creating a global superfund to promote sustainable urbanization in order to
minimizethe human impact on ecosystem and the environment
Officer: Olivia Kim
Introduction
To get an idea of the committee, "Sustainable development is development that meets the
needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own
needs. It contains within it two key concepts:


The concept of needs, in particular the essential needs of the world's poor, to which
overriding priority should be given; and
The idea of limitations imposed by the state of technology and social organization on the
environment's ability to meet present and future needs." 1
2
In this topic we discuss the role of minimizing environmental degradation through
sustainable urbanisation. Environmental degradation is caused by a lot of different sources that
includes high quantity of exhaust gases, deforestation, and high number of industries such as
miming, chemical effluents, transportations, unprecedented construction, secondary pollutants,
unsustainable agricultural practices, over population, and unplanned land-use policies.3
Urbanisation can be both an environmental problem and solution as expressed by the Millennium
2000 report which states: “In the last quarter of 2011, the world population reached the seven
billion mark. This historic event took place 12 years after the six billion mark. It took 123 years to
double from one to two billion but ‘only’ 33 years to cross the three-billion threshold.” The study
1
"What Is Sustainable Development?" What Is Sustainable Development?N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Nov. 2015. <https://www.iisd.org/sd/>.
2
"Sustainable Development - The Sustainable Leader." The Sustainable Leader.N.p., 15 Feb. 2013. Web. 29 Nov. 2015.
<http://www.thesustainableleader.org/sustainable-development/>.
3
"Top 10 Causes of Environmental Damage." Youth Ki Awaaz. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Nov. 2015. <http://www.youthkiawaaz.com/2012/01/top-10causes-of-environmental-damage/>.
further states that for the first time in human history, more than half the world’s population lives in
urban settings.4
This represents a unique historical opportunity. On the one hand there are now massive slums in
LEDC as people have migrated from impoverished rural region and crammed into poorly planned
areas with insufficient utility services such as water, sewage, electricity, and transportation. There
is also a lack of investment in education and healthcare locking these urban migrants into a viscous
poverty cycle as they lack the opportunity to improve their situation. These slums are sources of
disease, with high rates of TB and other communicable disease, and crime. Even better resourced
urban centers deal with high crime rates from high density living, the challenge of living in cement
jungles without access to parks and nature, and stress from light and noise pollution. On the other
hand, properly planned urban centers can reduce the human impact on ecosystems through high
density housing and mass transportation, more efficiently provide basic services and infrastructure
to large numbers of people, promote recycling, and much more. This all depends on proper urban
planning emphasizing the use of sustainable technologies, green zones, ergonomic construction
that combines both aesthetic value with practicality. A big challenge in achieving this is that much
of urbanisation globally is occurring in developing and less economically developed countries
where resources for urban planning and building are limited and government are incapable of
handling such a massive demographic shift in such a short time. As seen below in Table 1, there is a
stark difference between resources available for sustainable development in MEDC and LEDC,
however, the current period of mass urbanisation is an opportunity globally to face some of these
issues.
Birth Rate
MEDC
LEDC
Low 10-16 babies born per 1000
people
High 20-45 people born per 1000 people
Death Rate Low due to good health care
High due to poor health care and
widespread disease
Natural
Increase
Low (below 1%)
High 2-3.5% or more
Very few children die before the age
of 5 in MEDCs
A high proportion of children die before
the age of 5 in LEDCs due to poor health
care. About 35,000 babies die every day
in LEDCs due to poor health care and
lack of food
Infant
Mortality
People per A majority of people in MEDCs have
doctor
access to a doctor
Few people in LEDCs have access to a
doctor unless they are wealthy
Life expectancy is high in MEDCs due
Life
Life expectancy is low in LEDCs due to
to good medical care and quality of
Expectancy
poor medical care and quality of life
life
Housing
4
Housing in MEDCs is adequate for a
Housing in LEDCs is often inadequate
"Sustainable Urbanization." Key Concepts in Urban Studies (2005): 159-64. Web.
majority of people. Most people have with no access to clean running water or
access to clean running water and
electricity. Shanty towns are large areas
electricity
which develop in LEDCs and consist of
poorly built properties
Literacy
Literacy rates in MEDCs are high
because a majority of children have
access to a free education
Literacy rates in LEDCs are low because
people cannot afford to send their
children to school and some areas may
not even have schools due to a lack of
teachers
The rich MEDCs (with a GNP over
The poorest LEDCs (with GNPs under
US$10000) are in the continents of
US$1250) are mainly in the continents of
GNP
North America, Europe and
Africa and Asia. They lie on the southern
Australasia. Japan in Asia is also in
side of the North-South Line
this group
Table 1. LEDC vs. MEDC Revision World.N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Nov. 2015.
<http://revisionworld.com/gcse-revision/geography/development/medcs-and-ledcs>.
Rural migration to cities is usually caused by economic or personal problems and the pull factors of
more jobs and better economic opportunities in urban areas. According to an article published by
the University of Michigan in 2002, titled “Urbanization and Global Change,” developing countries,
in an attempt to pay off foreign debt and bolster their financial standings, encourage exportation of
natural resources. This includes using economics of scale to boost agricultural produce, minerals,
timber and fish. To harvest these products efficiently and economically, governments decrease the
number of small producers, such as small family farms or companies, in favour of larger
corporations and these smaller labor units are often then forced to relocate to urban centers.
Governments need resources to implement planned urbanization where there are sufficient
facilities to provide education, low emissions transportation, green zones, health care and much
more. Otherwise, these cities will develop massive slums which will breed diseases, crime, and
political instability.
Definition of Key Terms
Urbanisation- movement from rural (countryside) to urban (city) by the population.
Sustainable Development- "Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the
present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”5
Superfund- a fund established to finance a long-term, expensive project.
Millennium 2000 Goals- a UNO initiative to end global poverty.
LEDC- Less Economically Developed Country
5
https://www.iisd.org/sd/
MEDC- More Economically Developed Country
Push Factors: those factors which make a person want to leave a place.
Pull Factors: those factors which draw a person to go to a place.
UNEP- United Nations Environment Programme
Government Intervention- Regulatory actions taken by a government in order to affect or interfere
with decisions made by individuals, groups, ororganizations regarding social and
economic matters.6
Environmental Justice- the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of
race, colour, national origin, or income with respect to the development, implementation, and
enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies.7
Major Parties Involved
6
"What Is Government Intervention? Definition and Meaning." BusinessDictionary.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Nov. 2015.
<http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/government-intervention.html>.
7
"Environmental Justice | US EPA." Environmental Justice | US EPA.N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Nov. 2015.
<http://www3.epa.gov/environmentaljustice/>.
The top ten urbanised countries’ population in urbanised area is more than 90% of the
countries’ population.
8
Past History and Action
“In the last quarter of 2011, the world population reached the seven billion mark. This historic
event took place 12 years after the six billion mark. It took 123 years to double from one to two
billion but ‘only’ 33 years to cross the three-billion threshold.”
Millennium Development Goals 2015- A UNO iniative created in 2000 to eradicate global poverty
by 2015 based on the 8 specific target below. Sustainable urbanisation would be a huge boost to
achieving many of these goals.
8
"Top Ten Urbanised Countries in the World." Maps of the World.N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Dec. 2015. <http://www.mapsofworld.com/world-topten/world-top-ten-most-urbanized-countries-map.html>.
2011- The world population reached the seven billion mark.
2015- More than half the world’s population currently lives in urban settings and this number is
increasing.
Possible Solution
One key move will be to reduce the debt burden of LEDCs and developing countries to
insure they have the resources to implement this planning. Thus, MEDCs and NGOs can support
LEDCs in order to maintain their economy and get less pressure from foreign debts, which will lead
to a controlled and stable urbanisation. 9
Developing countries and LEDC must have international help build this infrastructure
through access to low cost credit. The World Bank, UN, UNESCO all provide investment funds to
developing countries, but not on the scale necessary to promote long term sustainable urbanization.
Thus, there is a need for a global superfund to provide 0 percent interest loans and grants for
sustainability projects in developing countries.
There must be a global emphasis put on enhancing the government regulations towards
roads, sewers, waterlines, electricity and other necessities because as urbanization happens these
aspects are being lacked which leads to pollution of air and nearby water resources. It is possible to
have a patchwork of regulations where DC have high standards while LEDCs have low standards,
because both DCs and LEDCs live on the same ship, earth. All of these measures are necessary,
because sustainable urbanization is about insuring the living standards of future generations. Also,
the environmental problems created or resolved in developing countries have a direct effect on
developed countries. When ecosystems are preserved, carbon footprints reduced, oceans are clean,
and the air is breathable everyone benefits globally in the long run so there is an incentive to invest
and develop globally.
9"Problems Of Urbanisation: Holding Back Development?. " YOUTH KI AWAAZ. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Dec. 2015.
<http://www.youthkiawaaz.com/2011/01/problems-of-urbanisation/>.
Resources Section
http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/
http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/pdf/Think%20Pieces/18_urbanization.pdf
http://www.worldbank.org/en/country/china/publication/urban-china-toward-efficientinclusive-sustainable-urbanization
http://www.un.org/en/ecosoc/integration/2014/
Sustainability issues.
http://www.uclg.org/en/media/news/sustainable-urbanization-key-successful-development-unworld-urbanization-prospects
http://unctad.org/en/PublicationsLibrary/dtlstict2014d2_en.pdf
United Nation Environment Programme’s official website:
http://www.unep.org/
Recent news and information about environmental issues.
http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/toxic-wasteoverview/
To find the definition of unfamiliar economics term:
http://www.economist.com/economics-a-to-z