Page 1 of 5
Commission: Environment
Session
:Zonal MUN - 2014
Sponsors
: Australia, Seychelles, Jamaica, China, Surinam, India, Samoa.
QUESTION OF: IMPLEMENTING WAYS TO TAP RENEWABLE RESOURCES
The General Assembly,
Deeply disturbedby the fact that uncertain energy security and
unsuccessful quest for energy are a consequence of heavy dependence on
external sources of supply of hydrocarbons for energy needs in some countries
further causing depletion of these non-renewable sources,
Grievedby the fact that the use of fuels worldwide to generate electricity
has surged by 3.4% and the global natural gas production grew by 1.9% in
2012,
Recognising that the depletion of cheap conventional “easy oil” along with
shortage of food and water due to climate change and population growth will
sustain rocketing energy prices which are likely to lead to a long recession,
fuelling internal unrest and the rise of nationalist movement,
Deploring the lack of financial resources for the transformation costs in
terms of equipment, policy amendments and schemes for the installation and
maintenance of renewable energy resources, owing particularly to the crippling
effect that the rise in energy prices has on the world economy,
Emphasizingon the fact that Seychelles has to cater for a reliable system
for production of renewable energy for the 115 islands archipelago whose
economy depends mainly on high-end tourism,
Page 2 of 5
Commission: Environment
Sponsors
: Australia, Seychelles, Jamaica, China, Surinam, India, Samoa.
Bearing in mind that it is stressing that in Samoa 95% of GHG emission
came from nitrogen oxide from agriculture soil (13%), livestock farming (25%),
waste water (7%),
Affirms that China is looking to increase its reliance on hydroelectricity to
satisfy the rapidly growing energy needs of its rapidly growing economy since
coal presently accounts for two- thirds of all electricity projection, killing miners,
polluting air and water, and emitting vast quantities of greenhouse gases,
Considered that the discharge of untreated sewage is the single most
important cause for pollution of surface and ground water in India and that the
problem is not only that India lacks sufficient treatment capacity but also the
fact that the sewage treatment plants that exist do not operate and are not
maintained,
Conscious that in Australia, transport emissions which use oil are a
significant source of urban air pollution, affecting Australia’s air and water
quality,
Alarmed that small open fires from a common means of waste removal in
Surinam resulting from the deteriorating public waste disposal service since
these wastes contain a rather high amount of plastics and fires are likely to
contaminate the air with dioxins,
Fully alarmed by the report of the U.N Environment programme that the
“Asian Brown Cloud” – a two-mile-thick collection of soot, fly ash and sulfuric
acid formed from global carbon emissions from fuel use, which has been parked
over south Asia for more than a decade – had killed tens of thousands of people
in the past 10 years, including 52, 100 in India alone,
Commission: Environment
Sponsors
: Australia, Seychelles, Jamaica, China, Surinam, India, Samoa.
Page 3 of 5
Convinced that for the growing population, the use of fossil fuel is
expected to double, thus limiting the amount of energy being supplied as it is
the case in India, where in 2012 the largest electrical blackout in the history
affected an area encompassing about 670 million people (roughly 10% of the
world population) and there have been major power shortages for much of the
country as the fossil fuel powered grids had collapsed for several hours,
Observing that only 5% to 20% of energy production is from hydropower
even where it can produce a considerable amount of energy, and that no serious
consideration of the higher lands hydropower potential has been taken,
Declaring large but inadequately defined and quantified geothermal
energy resources,
Fully believing that wildlife and fish have been affected by hydroelectricity
plants as the normal river flow is interrupted and changed from a river to a lake
(reservoir), equally endangering wildlife on earth owing to the submerging
areas of land to form the reservoir located behind the dam,
Having examined that the only hydroelectricity power generation has
been at Upolu in Samoa with peak out 11.5 MW dropping to 4.2 MW during dry
seasons and in 2010, a dry year, hydropower produced about 40 Wh of the
country’s electricity while Savai’i bearing higher lands than Upolu does not
have any hydroelectricity power generation because of some local factors,
Taking into consideration that small hydropower in India having an
estimated potential of about 15,000 MW of which only 20% hydro energy has
been tapped, has been standardized up to the level of 25 MW,
Commission: Environment
Sponsors
: Australia, Seychelles, Jamaica, China, Surinam, India, Samoa.
Page 4 of 5
1.
Strongly urgesall the member states present in this commission to support
this resolution as tapping renewable energy and using it are the only way of
alleviating this problem of depletion of energy sources through the following
steps:
(a) Finding alternate renewable resources like biomass to produce
electricity;
(b) Procuring energy supplies at affordable prices;
(c )Monitoring that these operations are being carried out successfully
since they will help in enhancing energy security.
2.
Notes with satisfactionthe investment of EU Companies and the
International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) in countries which are
helping them to expand renewable energy installments, while also assisting
them to acquire the expertise to establish its own clean energy industries.
3.
Expresses its hope.to see a photovoltaic system an almost every house and
gasoline vehicles to be replaced by electric cars;
4.
Further recommends the launching of schemes and policy settings as well
as the proposal of loans, grants and tax for the promotion of sustainable
investments;
5.
Confident that the introduction of eco vehicles, which are pollution free
vectors and use hydrogen or solar energy as input instead of fossil fuel,
would ensure a better cost of living of the rural inhabitants as it is less
expensive and on the fact that the convention on persistent organic
pollutants (POPs) seeks to protect human health and the environment from
persistent organic that remain intact, urging parties to take measures to
eliminate or reduce the release of POPs into the environment;
6.
Deeply convinced that large-scale hydropower plants can contribute a lot to
reduce fossil energy consumption, air and environmental problems;
7.
Calls upon the annual communication to the UN regarding the results and
impact of the measures taken to reduce the deadly effects of the “Asian
Brown Cloud’’
8.
Reaffirming to solve the problem of sewage, investment is needed to bridge
the gap between 29000 million litres per day of sewage India generates and
a treatment capacity of mere 6000 million litres per day;
Commission: Environment
Sponsors : Australia, Seychelles, Jamaica, China, Surinam, India, Samoa.
Page 5 of 5
9.
Having studied that renewable energy is a much healthier alternative to the
burning process and produces little to no waste;
10.
Referring.that a country should have a national framework that will allow
the government to make better use of existing ongoing efforts and
effectively develop new initiatives in the environment fields;
11.
Suggeststhe help of the IRENA, UN, Commonwealth (if country forms part
of it) and state governments to cooperate financially or ideally when it
comes to how to deal with electricity generation and create their own daily
fossil fuel independent energy lasting at least 10 hours;
12.
Acknowledges that the promotion of hydropower is crucial, emphasizing
more on islands, while seeking the UN’s help to find solutions on how to
produce considerable amount of energy in those countries that have the
capacity to do so;
13
Urges that Australia may recruit personal geologists to determine the best
places to make full benefit of geothermal energy;
14.
Further recommendsapplication of new policies which will consider the
abolishment of using rivers and dams and construct reservoirs which will
be filled by rain water and hence, leaving marine life unaffected.