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Dear Delegates,
Welcome to the United Nations Environment Programme!
My name is Renato Sakanishi and I´m honored to be serving as your director on this
2nd edition of MUNSALLE Conference. I am currently studying Electrical Engineering at
Universidad de Ingeniería y Tecnología – UTEC and attending to an internship at Red
de Energía del Perú in the Digital Transformation Division. I am interested in every topic
which is related to technology, sports, but more importantly, most of the topics that
concern the Peruvian political system. Thus, I like to think about and discuss solutions
to the conflicts and problems that Peru faces to the date. Take in consideration that each
conflict has consequences that affect our future: our lives, our environment, and the lives
of other people.
My MUN experience - as a delegate - started in 2013, with the La Salle Lima Delegation,
at the Bolmunpaz 2013. Since that year until my last high school year, I participated in
several MUN conferences, both national (such as LiMUN, VMMUN) and international
(such as CAENU, Bolmunpaz). Also, I had the honor to be part of the organizing team of
LASMUN 2015 with the role of Under-Secretary-General. To finish with my MUN
experience, in the period 2017-2018, I participated as coach of La Salle Lima Delegation
along with Ian Guimaray. We constantly guided new participants through the
development of necessary skills to outstand in the MUN atmosphere and, of course, we
helped old delegates to master those skills.
The committee will focus on debating all the policies that have been proposed and
implemented regarding Environmental Care and Sustainability; the impact of taken
actions would be discussed, an analysis of the real benefit regarding the implemented
indicators will be done; future actions to obtain the desired panorama for all our
ecosystems will be proposed. There is plenty of framework for each Member State to
stand up and give a viable – technically speaking – solution, minding the international
peace and security of the Committee and all of its Member States. Thus, my colleagues
and I expect delegates to establish an intense negotiation and propose technical-viable
and innovative solutions to the topic at hand. I expect to observe compromise and
negotiation in order to reach diplomatic agreements.
See you on October 4th, 5th and 6th!
Renato Sakanishi
United Nations Environment Programme
1https://unfccc.int/sites/default/files/background_on_unep_presentation.pdf 2https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Environment_Programme 3https://www.unenvironment.org/es/node/18409
Introduction to the Committee
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) was established in 1972 in order
to facilitate a voice for the environment within the United Nations. Its main aims are to
work as a catalyst, advocate, educator and facilitator to promote the wise use and
sustainable development of the global environment1.
The headquarters were established in Kenya’s capital: Nairobi. The headquarters hosted
a staff of 300, including 100 professionals in a variety of fields, and with a five-year fund
of more than US$100 million2.
Furthermore, UNEP is organized as it follows3:
Communication Division delivers UN Environment’s core messages to
governments and citizens, stakeholders and partners, including the media,
through the full range of digital and traditional channels.
Corporate Services Division safeguards UN Environment’s corporate interests
by providing it with tools and plans for efficient and effective management and by
managing its exposure to risk.
Economy Division provides solutions for economic decision-makers and helps
change the business environment by offering platforms for dialogue and
cooperation, innovative policy options, pilot projects and creative market
mechanisms.
Ecosystems Division supports countries in conserving, restoring and
sustainably managing their terrestrial, freshwater and marine ecosystems, the
biodiversity they contain and the products and services they provide for human
well-being and prosperity.
Governance Affairs Office assists Member States, major groups and relevant
stakeholders, such as the private sector, to engage with UN Environment's work.
Law Division leads the international community in the progressive development
of environmental law through the promotion of capacities, transparency and
accountability in judiciaries, legislatures and policy making institutions.
Policy and Programme Division consolidates the policy, programme,
monitoring, gender and social safeguards functions of UN Environment as well
as its engagement with the United Nations system and key global processes such
as the 2030 Agenda. The Division ensures coherence and coordination at the
strategic, policy and programmatic levels.
Science Division provides timely, scientifically credible, policy-relevant
environmental assessments, data and information for decision-making and action
planning for sustainable development.
This programme has come into particular importance in the last decades due to the
Climate Change aftermath, the impact of weapons to the environment, as well resource’s
efficiency.
History around the Topic
In the following lines, key events attached to the history of the U.S. Environmental
Movement are listed. The main purpose of presenting this piece of information is to
spread the harsh timeline that happened in order to make some outstanding efforts.
“June 30, 1948: The Postwar Period
The first piece of legislation to lay down federal regulation of water quality, the
Federal Water Pollution Control Act, is passed by Congress. This act, known as
the FWPCA, will go through amendments in 1956, 1965, and 1972 to broaden
the government’s authority in water pollution control.
October 30-31, 1948
In Donora, PA, 20 people die and over 600 go to the hospital after sulfur dioxide
emissions from a nearby steel and wire plant descend in the form of smog, made
worse by a temperature inversion that trapped the sulfuric poison in the valley of
the town. The incident will lead to the first U.S. conference on air pollution in 1950,
sponsored by the Public Health Service.
September 1949
Paul Ehrlich (future author of The Population Bomb) enters the University of
Pennsylvania and studies zoology. He notes the disappearance of butterflies in
New Jersey, which he attributes to the spraying of
dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) during the building of subdivisions. The
shrinking population of butterflies leads Ehrlich to think about potential similar
repercussions in the human population.
October 22, 1951
The Nature Conservancy is established in Washington, D.C. as a nonprofit
organization with the mission to protect ecologically important lands and waters
around the world. Over the next several decades, the Nature Conservancy will
protect more than 119 million acres of land and 5,000 miles of rivers worldwide.
It will grow to more than 1 million members, and operate more than 100 marine
conservation projects.
November 1953
Heavy smog in New York City exacerbates asthma and other lung conditions,
killing 170-260 people. More New Yorkers will die again in 1962 and 1966 with
more “smog episodes.”
November 20, 1952
The Paley Commission releases Resources for Freedom which details the United
States’ increasing dependence on foreign sources of natural resources and
argues for the necessity to transition to renewable energy. This document was
one of the first to argue both for the dire need for Americans to stop their reliance
on oil and for the potential of solar energy to fulfill that chasm. William Paley, chair
of the presidential commission, establishes Resources for the Future later in
1952, an organization dedicated to independent environmental research.
February 1953: A Growing Public Awareness
The Silent World by Jacques Cousteau introduces the world to underwater
adventure, and ushers in a new global interest in oceanic life. In 1956, Cousteau’s
documentary film of the same title will win the Academy Award for Best
Documentary Feature.
January 1955
President Eisenhower speaks on the problem of air pollution in his State of the
Union address, and in a Special Message to Congress he calls on the Public
Health Service to study “effective methods of control.”
July 14, 1955
The Air Pollution Control Act passes Congress, becoming the first piece of
legislation to address air pollution. Despite its declaration to combat air
contamination, the act puts regulation largely in the hands of individual states and
gives no means of enforcement to the federal government.
April 1956
The Sierra Club gains national recognition for protesting construction of the Echo
Park Dam in Dinosaur National Monument in Utah. After effective lobbying,
Congress removed the Echo Park Dam from the Colorado River project.
July 9, 1956
An amendment to the Federal Water Pollution Control Act of 1948 strengthens
the government’s ability to enforce regulations and gives the Federal government
control over individual states’ consent where health is endangered.
1960
Worldwide levels of carbon dioxide will climb above 300 parts per million.
1962
Congress amends the Air Pollution Control Act of 1955 to fund a study conducted
by the U.S. Surgeon General to investigate the health effects caused by
automobile exhaust. In the United States alone, there are 74 million cars on the
road.
June 1962: "Silent Spring"
Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring is published. Acclaimed as the catalyst of the
modern environmental movement, Silent Spring condemns the overuse of
pesticides. Between 1950-1962 the amount of DDT found in human tissue had
tripled.
After the chemical industry denounces Carson’s book as a “gross distortion of
actual facts,” President John F. Kennedy charges his Science Advisory
Committee to review the book’s claims. The Committee reports that the
conclusions in Silent Spring are generally correct, and by 1972 DDT will be
banned in the U.S.
1963
83 million Americans own personal automobiles. In response to increased
evidence of a link between smog and car emissions, California mandated
crankcase blowby devices that return unburned gases to the combustion
chambers in all cars in 1961. California has begun its reign as a leader in
emissions standards, as this requirement was the first such imperative in the
country.
November 1963
Secretary of the Interior Stewart Udall publishes The Quiet Crisis, an early call to
arms on environmental pollution with an introduction by President Kennedy. Udall
will go on to become a pioneer for environmental legislation.
December 1963
The Clear Air Act passes, allocating $95 million for the study and cleanup of air
and water pollution. The act gives the federal government authority to reduce
interstate air pollution, regulate emission standards for stationary pollution
sources, and invest in technologies that will remove sulfur from coal and oil.
October 2, 1965
The Water Quality Act passes, enhancing Federal control over water quality
initially set by the Federal Water Pollution Control Act of 1948. These federal
standards will become the baseline for statewide water quality levels.
October 20, 1965
The Motor Vehicle Air Pollution Control Act sets the first federal automobile
emission standards.
October 15 1966
The first legislation regarding Endangered Species passes, authorizing the
Secretary of the Interior to list endangered domestic fish and wildlife and allotting
$15 million a year in the protection of such species.
The first list of Endangered Species – released in 1967 – will include the United
States’ national symbol, the American Bald Eagle.
August 1968: Changing Perspectives
In The Population Bomb, Paul Ehrlich argues that the world’s environmental
problems are caused by overpopulation. At 3.5 billion people, the population of
the world had more than doubled in the past half century. Despite the fact that his
dire predictions of catastrophe will never come to pass, Ehrlich’s apocalyptic
warnings play a pivotal role in bringing the issues of family planning,
contraception and legalized abortion to the forefront of domestic and international
politics.
Fall 1968
Stewart Brand publishes The Whole Earth Catalog, which lists a variety of
products helpful for self-sustainable living.
Stewart Brand will help lead a “back-to-the-land” movement that encourages
people to return to organic living. “Rural communes” spring up, consisting largely
of liberal, educated college students who try to live independently off the land.
While the communes ultimately will not last, the experiment reflects an emerging
recognition of environmental issues in the popular culture.
October 2, 1968
The Wild and Scenic Rivers Act provides a system that identifies and adds rivers
across the United States to a protected list. By 1989, over 1,385 miles of rivers
will be protected in Alaska alone.
On this same day, Congress passes the National Trails System Act, authorizing
a similar set of proceedings to protect U.S. trails.
December 24, 1968
The crew of Apollo 8 takes the first photograph of the Earth from space. The
photograph, named “Earthrise,” will become the iconic image of the
environmental movement.
January 28, 1969
The Santa Barbara oil well blowout spills over 200,000 gallons of oil into the
ocean for 11 days straight. Due to the destruction and extreme pollution of the
California coastline, the spill leads directly to reforms in the energy industry.
June 22, 1969
Ohio’s Cuyahoga River appears to burst into flames when oil and chemicals
floating on the surface alight and cause flames over five stories high.
December 1969
Gaylord Nelson, a U.S. Senator from Wisconsin, hires 25-year-old Denis Hayes
to direct a national “teach-in” about environmental issues. Hayes recruits a
handful of young college graduates to come to Washington, D.C. and begins
planning what will become the first Earth Day.
January 1, 1970
Congress passes the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), requiring every
federal agency to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for any
legislation.
The Act’s passage is due in large part to the public outcry that resulted from the
Santa Barbara oil spill the year before.
January 14, 1970
General Motors' president Edward Cole promises “pollution free” cars by 1980,
citing the removal of lead from gasoline and the addition of catalytic converters
as means to stop deadly emissions.
January 22, 1970
In recognition of the growing media attention given to the approaching Earth Day,
President Richard Nixon stresses the importance of environmental issues in his
State of the Union Address.
January - March 1970
In the months leading up to Earth Day, advertisements amplify the direness of
the environmental problems facing the world, reading: “It can be the beginning of
the end of pollution. Or the beginning of the end.”
Some opponents condemn the movement to organize a national Earth Day as an
unpatriotic deflection from the war in Vietnam. Others point out the fact that April
22, 1970 is the 100th anniversary of the birth of Vladimir Lenin, and warn
Americans that Earth Day could be a clever communist plot.
April 22, 1970: Earth Day
The first national Earth Day. Co-chaired by Congressman Pete McCloskey and
coordinated by Denis Hayes, the first Earth Day takes the form of a nationwide
protest against environmental ignorance. An estimated 20 million people
participate across the country, in what will ultimately be the largest demonstration
ever in American history.
June 1970
The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) is established to provide
citizens with the tools to draft environmental laws and lobby for their passage.
July 9, 1970
President Nixon works with Congress to establish the Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA), a new Federal agency primarily responsible for United States
environmental policy. In its first year of operation, the agency will employ over
4,000 Americans.
The EPA will be responsible for the passage of environmental legislation,
ecological programs, and research.
October 2, 1970
The National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is created
to monitor and improve the conditions of the oceans. NOAA enforces the
sustainable use of resources of coastal and marine ecosystems and supplies
environmental information to the public.
November 1970
During the election cycle after Earth Day, Denis Hayes organizes a movement to
unseat “The Dirty Dozen” - a list of 12 members of Congress with infamous
records on environmental policy. The movement will successfully remove seven
of the incumbents, and earn the environmental movement significant political
clout in the legislature.
October 18, 1972: A Wave of Legislation
The Clean Water Act (CWA) becomes the primary legislation governing water
pollution in the country. The goal of the CWA is to eliminate toxic substances in
water and to uphold surface water to a national standard of cleanliness. The act,
an amendment to the Federal Water Pollution Control Act of 1948, bestows
enforcement authority on the EPA and restructures previous water quality
regulations.
October 21, 1972
The Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) protects all marine mammals from
importation, exportation, hunting, capture, or any form of harassment, thus
encouraging natural resource management in the United States.
Two days later, on October 23, the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA)
protects all marine mammals from importation, exportation, hunting, capture, or
any form of harassment, thus encouraging natural resource management in the
United States.
October 27, 1972
The Coastal Zone Management Act mandates coastal states to develop
management plans to offset the negative impact of humans on coastal areas.
October 31, 1972
Dennis Meadows co-authors The Limits to Growth, a study of the interaction
between population, industrial growth, food production and ecosystem limits. In
the book, Meadows demonstrates with clear diagrams and linear models that
Earth’s resources are being steadily used up, and as these resources drop,
human population is expanding exponentially. The Limits to Growth predicts that
by the middle of the 21st century, Earth’s population will no longer be sustainable
and the ecosystem will completely collapse.
December 31, 1972
DDT is banned in the United States, the result of nearly 10 years of legislative
battles. Since Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring first brought DDT into the spotlight
in 1962, the government formed investigative panels and committees to
substantiate the danger of the pesticide. With the ban, the Administrator of the
EPA, William D. Ruckelshaus, stated his conviction that “the continued massive
use of DDT posed unacceptable risks to the environment and potential harm to
human health.”
October 1973 - March 1974
During the Arab Oil Embargo, energy demands exceed supplies in the United
States for first time. The fuel shortage results from the suspension of oil
shipments to the U.S., with gas prices skyrocketing and the price of a barrel
increasing 400% from $3 to $12 a barrel. The energy crisis fuels immediate
research into alternative energy and creates a new dialogue about energy
security for the United States.
December 28, 1973
Congress passes the Endangered Species Act in order to prevent the extinction
of animals in the United States. This act restructured the 1966 legislation
regarding endangered species and directed the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
and the NOAA to carry out its stipulations.
June 26, 1974
President Nixon signs the Energy Supply and Environmental Coordination Act,
the first attempt to balance the nation’s energy demands with appropriate
environmental regulations.
June 28, 1974
Chemists Frank Sherwood Rowland and Mario Molina claim that
Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) can destroy ozone molecules and may erode the
Earth’s protective ozone layer.
A report released two years later by the U.S. Academy of Sciences will provide
further scientific evidence to support the hypothesis of ozone depletion. In 1978
the United States will ban the use of CFCs in aerosol cans, but is not until the
early 1990s that CFCs will begin to be phased out of product production.
August 17, 1974
The Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act of 1974 (RPA) is
enacted in an effort to monitor forest resources in the United States. The RPA
mandates comprehensive assessments in order to supervise forest supply.
December 12, 1974
The EPA is charged with settling and monitoring water quality standards with the
Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA), covering every public water system across the
country.
January 3, 1975
The Eastern Wilderness Areas Act protects over 200,000 acres of National
Forests. This legislation is the first to protect lands that were once logged or
previously inhabited.
October 11, 1976
The Toxic Substances Control Act mandates the EPA to control all new and
existing chemical substances being used in the United States. The act controls
polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) and other toxic products, although the
management of existing chemicals are grandfathered and untouched by the act.
October 21, 1976
The EPA is given complete control over hazardous waste in the Resource
Conservation and Recovery Act, which mandates the agency manage all aspects
of toxic waste management.
The following day, National Forest Management Act requires the Secretary of
Agriculture to monitor forestlands and to develop a standard to manage each unit
of the National Forest System.
1977
Architects of Governor Jerry Brown’s Office of Appropriate Technology design
the first energy-conserving, self-ventilating building in Sacramento, the Bateson
Building.
April 18, 1977
In a televised speech, President Jimmy Carter announces his energy plan,
including goals to lower U.S. energy demand, reduce gasoline consumption, cut
the portion of oil imported into the U.S., increase domestic coal production, and
increase the use of solar energy. Carter also proclaims his goal of getting 20% of
the nation’s energy from renewable energy resources by the year 2000 during his
1979 Solar Message to Congress.
August 4, 1977: Carter's Ambitions
President Carter establishes the Department of Energy (DOE), charged with
carrying out a comprehensive national energy plan that reflects the federal
legislation. The DOE takes accountability for long-term research and
technological development, energy regulation, nuclear weapons, and energy
data collection and analysis.
June 15, 1978
The Supreme Court uses the 1973 Endangered Species Act as reason to stop
the construction of the Tellico Dam in the Tennessee Valley Authority vs. Hill
case. The decision upholds the rights of an endangered species over unrestricted
expansion, and reflects growing American opposition to dam construction.
July 1978: Successes and Failures
Reporter Michael H. Brown raises questions that lead to the discovery of long-
term dioxin contamination at Love Canal, a neighborhood in Niagara Falls, NY.
Up to 21,000 tons of toxic waste had been dumped in the canal by the Hooker
Chemical Company from 1942-
1952 and caused significant numbers of birth defects, abnormalities in children,
and miscarriages.
The national media fallout from the Love Canal disaster leads to the
Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation and Liability Act, more
commonly known as the “Superfund” legislation, which mandates the cleanup of
abandoned hazardous waste sites by the parties responsible. Superfund will be
signed into law on December 11, 1980.
October 25, 1978
The Nimbus-7 spacecraft is launched as the first satellite with the technology to
take comprehensive worldwide measurements of the ozone layer.
November 9, 1978
The Energy Tax Act creates an incentive for ethanol use. This is the first instance
of using tax credits to encourage fuel efficiency and renewable energy.
1979
President Carter appoints Earth Days organizer Denis Hayes as head of the
Federal Solar Energy Research Institute (SERI) and allocates billions for solar
technology research. The SERI is one of the only federal programs dedicated to
rethinking our current energy system, but its budget will be cut dramatically in
1981 under the Ronald Reagan administration.
March 28, 1979
The meltdown of the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant in Middletown, PA,
causes the evacuation of 140,000 people. It will take more than ten years to clean
up fully.
June 20, 1979
Solar heaters are installed on the White House roof in support of Carter’s Federal
Solar Research Institute. President Carter heralded the solar panels, arguing that
“we must balance our demand for energy with our rapidly shrinking resources.”
In 1980, the price of oil will jump to $30 a barrel.
September 25, 1979
In order for the Tellico Dam to be built, the U.S. Congress exempts the Tellico
Dam from the Endangered Species Act, the precedence of which the Supreme
Court had argued the year before. The species at risk, a small fish called the snail
darter, is relocated to the Hiwassee River. This exception sets a precedent that
will allow specific projects to be excluded from the Endangered Species Act.
Early 1980s
The world population hits 4.5 billion, the total economic loss caused by great
weather and flood catastrophes increases nearly 55% in the 1980s compared to
the previous decade, and the arctic ice cap continues to melt. CO2 concentration
hits 335ppm, up from 315ppm in 1960.
Despite the categorical changes in legislation and a new enforcement agency set
up in the previous decade, no significant progress can be detected on most
environmental fronts.
July 24, 1980
Commissioned by President Carter in 1977, The Global 2000 Report to the
President is released by the Council on Environmental Quality and the U.S.
Department of State. This study echoes statistics first seen in Limits to Growth
that pointed to current trends in the environment and what that will mean in the
coming decades.
February 17, 1981: Reagan's initiatives
New President Ronald Reagan issues an Executive Order that gives the Office
of Management and Budget (OMB) the power to regulate environmental
proposals before they become public. Reagan also cuts the budget of the
Environmental Protection Agency by 12% and staff by 11%. The solar water
heating system on the White House roof, installed by President Carter, will be
dismantled in Reagan’s second term in August 1986.
September 1981
President Reagan cuts the EPA’s budget to 44% of its 1978 level, and the number
of enforcement cases submitted to the EPA during the fiscal year will decline by
56%.
May 1985
Nature magazine publishes an article providing evidence that confirms the ozone
hole over the Antarctic. This article creates a new wave of media attention on the
now-stalled environmental movement. The ozone is estimated to have been
declining at about 4% of the total volume per decade since the 1970s. This study
and confirmation by the Nimbus-7 satellite catalyzes a torrent of studies
investigating the consequences of ozone depletion.
October 17, 1986
Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA), a subset of
the Superfund Amendments and Reorganization Act (SARA), requires industries
to report toxic releases to the general public. The federal law creates the new
State Emergency Response Commission (SERC) to enforce these new
requirements.
September 16, 1987
The Montreal Protocol is signed by the U.S., Japan, Canada, and 21 other
countries, agreeing to phase out ozone-depleting CFCs by the year 2000.
June 23, 1988
NASA scientist James Hansen warns Congress about the consequences of
global warming, and argues that the ozone layer is eroding much faster than was
predicted.
November 18, 1988
President Reagan signs the Ocean Dumping Ban Act of 1988, a law that prohibits
all waste dumping in the ocean starting in 1992.
December 6, 1988
The World Meteorological Organization and the United Nations Environmental
Program establish the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The
IPCC provides balanced scientific information regarding climate change and will
release Assessment Reports in 1990, 1995, 2001, and 2007. The panel will be
awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for its last Assessment Report in 2007.
March 24, 1989
The Exxon Valdez tanker spills 11 million gallons of oil, killing more than 250,000
birds and covering over 1,300 square miles of ocean with oil. The accident is the
largest oil spill in the history of the U.S.
April 22, 1990: The Anniversary
More than 140 countries celebrate the 20th anniversary of Earth Day, calling
attention to environmental issues for the 1992 United Nations Earth Summit in
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.”4
The Topic
Today we stand at a critical point for the environment. Right now, we are just living, day
by day, the aftermath of Climate Change: abnormal temperatures, weather disasters,
species extinction, glaciers melting, and the list continues. It is not necessary to point out
that all these effects are extremely related with the Environmental Care. Most of you
would wonder: “If I see a lot of campaigns in order to preserve the environment, why
can’t I observe changes?” The answer is quite simple: it is not enough.
As you may have read in the history facts, pollution acts started a long time ago. Those
examples related to the U.S. Environmental Movement are quite actual because there is
information about pollution acts that date to 1300s. Imagine all the pollution acts that
were committed since that year; think about how much the health bar of planet Earth has
been affected with the pollution cumulative. Thus, the consequences that we observe
today, probably, correspond to the pollution occurred in the period 1300 – 1800. In short,
there are more consequences to come, but what would you do to fight them?
Awareness campaigns, State Plastic Legislations, reforestation, implementation of water
treatment plants and more sustainable changes are beneficial and they show that there’s
still hope for the environment. However, there’s a policy that can be exploited more and
more: recycling. Yes, the process of treating used materials to transform them into
reusable items.
Pay attention to the following information:
4https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/earth-days-modern-environmental-
movement/ 5https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/fact-check_is-switzerland-the-world-champion-of-
recycling/42382610
Recycling and composting in Switzerland5
Switzerland, with a population of 9 million people, easily places into the ranking of the
most efficient countries when recycling. Look how much can a small country do with
proper planification, transversal culture, vision and motivation for greatness. In contrast,
Peru is definitely not well placed in the ranking. With a population of 10 million, Peru’s
capital recycles just the 4% of its waste6; compared to the Switzerland’s ciphers, we
deduce there’s still a big negative margin to cover.
Thus, it is crucial for delegates to ensure that the debate takes place within the context
of recycling applied to achieve Environmental Care.
Importance of the Topic
Again, don’t forget that all the projects which were implemented through the years had
the goal of helping out the environment. Don’t forget that it provides all the necessary
resources – natural resources – for the different species to coexist. For example, “our
forests remove carbon dioxide and other pollutants from the air we breathe and also cool
our air temperatures, reducing the formation of ground-level ozone, a pollutant that can
cause heart and lung problems to worsen; our wetlands store storm water, filter and
make harmless storm water pollutants, and recharge our aquifers (where most of us get
our drinking water) with these filtered waters; and the dune systems on our beaches form
natural barriers to storm waves and provide important habitat and travel ways for
wildlife”7.
Don’t forget about the Hurricane Irma; how this powerful disaster destroyed hundreds of
houses and farms across Haiti and some Caribbean Islands. Don’t forget about the South
Asia floods; this disaster happened approximately after 30 years and killed more than
1200 people. Don’t forget about the East Africa drought; this disaster has killed a lot of
species and has kept hundreds of families in the Horn of Africa with shortages of food
and water. Don´t forget about the Hurricane Harvey; this disaster devastated major parts
of different states in the U.S., leaving 100 deaths and severe economic losses. Don’t
forget about the Heat Wave in India and Pakistan; more than 3000 people were killed in
2015. This list can continue. Just five disasters, from – perhaps – thousands, have been
6http://www.wwf.org.pe/en/?uNewsID=328834 7http://www.hiltonheadislandsc.gov/sustainability/whycare.cfm
described. The environment is being smashed with hundreds of waves of different
disasters; it is time to stop them.
Think about how the world can change if more and more people support Environmental
Care. Consequently, there is a latent importance of taking care of the environment, more
specifically: natural resources as air, water and fauna and flora, that can be translated
into some of the following perks:
Aspect Benefits
Water Care Boosting aquatic tourism activities Fostering aquatic industry such as aquiculture Providing people with clean water and, ultimately, decreasing sicknesses due to dirty water Stablishing the basis for ecotourism
Air Care
Boosting air tourism activities Fostering aquatic industry such as aquiculture Providing people with clean air and, ultimately, decreasing sicknesses attached to the respiratory system Decreasing the rates of erosion
Biodiversity Care Boosting tourism activities Fostering quality of life for all species Maintaining the balance in the cycle of life
Summary on Environmental Care benefits
Efforts to address the Topic
The United Nations Environment Programme has distributed its efforts towards
Environmental Care in three fronts, according to its annual report8: Climate resilience,
Low-emission growth and Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest
Degradation (REDD+). These three fronts were established in the 2018 Programme
Performance Report. Climate resilience refers to all the implementations – planned and
executed – by different countries in order to adapt to Climate Change. Low-emission
growth refers to all the support given to the countries in order to implement all the policies
that contribute to the energy efficiency, the reduction of the emission of negative gasses
and others. Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation refers to the
support to the policies that involve the reduction of greenhouse gasses emission from
deforestation and forest degradation.
Climate resilience
It is already known that with the Industrial Revolution and all the sudden progress of
technology implementation and resources exploitation, the overall temperature of our
planet has raised, approximately 1 °C. This fact is considered just one of the dozens of
consequences of Climate Change. Natural disasters are considered, too, consequences
of Climate Change. Because of these events, the United Nations Environmental
Programme identified a current need for adaption to these sudden changes. Thus, main
objectives were established:
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Developing methods and tools to help adaptation planning and decision-making
Supporting developing countries to access finance through ecosystem-based
adaptation project design
Improving the science-policy interface in adaptation policies and planning
through climate risk assessments and adaptation planning systems
Enhancing climate resilience through planning, piloting and testing ecosystem-
based adaptation
Fortunately, those objectives listed have been translated into results so for. For example,
UNEP has helped Albania, Antigua and Barbuda, Comoros, Madagascar, United
Republic of Tanzania to set up the technical capacity for developing a primary adaption
stage. Furthermore, thanks to UNEP efforts, Brazil, Eswatini, Honduras, Madagascar,
Mauritius, Mongolia, Niger, South Sudan to obtain vast options for economical support
for their projects.
Low-emission growth
UNEP’s focus on this topic is translated into reducing the carbon footprint as much as
possible, for example: in transportation, infrastructure, by communicating the wide
variety of available policies, technologies and facilities for funding. UNEP is also aware
of the incrementing efforts of different countries for adapting their industries to renewable
energy fonts and is fully compromised to support the cause. As a complement to the
context, the statistics for generated solar energy are the following:
Solar energy capacity statistics
From the graph – in the beginning – it can be observed that in every year from the period
2007-2017, there was an increment in the solar capacity. In a further analysis, it can be
deduced that the solar capacity augmented following an exponential trend. Also, as
another complement, the statistics about renewable power capacity are presented:
Renewable energy capacity statistics
From the graph – in the beginning – it can be observed that the renewable energy
capacity increased, also, following an exponential trend, but not so aggressively as the
solar capacity. In a further analysis, it can be identified that the more prosperous
renewable energy fonts are the solar and the wind ones.
Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation
According to the FAO, deforestation is a big problem since a green area similar in size
with Panama (approximately 8 million hectares) is lost every year. Imagine the direct
impact of that loss in the ecosystem; according to specialists, forests help to fight the
Climate Change by also regulating the heat increment and maintaining it under pre-
industrial levels. With that context the UNEP has worked in association with other UN’s
agencies (such as FAO or UNDP) towards the reduction of emissions with formal
strategies that involve the participation of private companies, big marketing campaigns
and lots of technical assistance. As a complement, there is a clue about countries that
are making efforts towards REDD+’s success:
Countries under the REDD+ specter
From the graph, it can be observed that despite the positive amount of countries that
have enrolled in REDD+, that amount could be bigger. In short, there’s plenty of work to
be done in order to fulfill the indicators of REDD+ in a better way.
Recycling
Some interesting facts were communicated by the UNEP regarding Latin America and
the Caribbean8:
Roughly each inhabitant produces one kilogram of waste per day
By 2018, 541000 tons of municipal wasted were generated per day and it’s
expected that it will increase, at least, 25% by 2050
Approximately, 40 million people can’t access to waste collection mechanisms
About 145000 tons of waste are placed in open dumpsites per day, form which
17000 correspond to plastic waste
It has been determined that 50% of municipal waste is organic, but 90% of the
total waste is not utilized
Conclusion
Ecosystems are – truly – wonders of the Creation. Thus, a major part of our quality of life
depends directly on the results of Environmental Care. The development of policies and
action plans which are technically viable and with the proper funding would mean a
capitalization in social wealth and environmental quality. A better Environmental Care
implies a proper planification of the national economic budget and it will strengthen the
social component of our society. This could be achieved through the implementation of
marketing campaigns for making people aware of the short and long-term benefits of a
proper policy of Environmental Care: properly designed spaces for waste disposal,
limited deforestation activities, investments in new technologies that support the
increasing use of renewable energy sources and a well – settled and revised protocol for
ensuring the acceptance of norms and rules for proceeding in environmental quality
issues. As the reader should know, the dais of this committee is interested in the
realization of a dynamic debate around the conundrum of how a sustainable
Environmental Care action plan, targeting all the atmospheres that the UNEP proposes,
can be achieved from the recycling point of view, while ensuring proper indicators of
performance as the UNEP tends to do. The dais of the committee encourages the
Delegates to research wisely, and provide their solutions and justify if they could be
implemented in the country they are representing, the city they are representing, the
district they are representing or in the school they are representing.
Necessary readings
The dais of the committee suggests the Delegates to visit the following link
https://wedocs.unep.org/ in order to obtain key facts about any perspective of
Environmental Care and, furthermore, to observe how action plans can be structured in
order to be successful.
References
UNEP. (2006). ‘’ UNEP’s Presentation to the UNFCCC Workshop on the
Adaptation Fund’’ [PDF document]. Available from web address:
https://unfccc.int/sites/default/files/background_on_unep_presentation.pdf
Wikipedia. (Ed.). (2004, January 24). United Nations Environment Programme.
Retrieved from:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Environment_Programme
United Nations Environment Programme. (2009). UN Environment divisions.
Retrieved from https://www.unenvironment.org/es/node/18409
American Experience (2017, July 23). The Modern Environmental Movement.
Retrieved from https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/earth-
days-modern-environmental-movement/
Hoi, G. W. S. (2016, September 12). Is Switzerland the world champion of
recycling? Retrieved from https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/fact-check_is-
switzerland-the-world-champion-of-recycling/42382610
WWF Perú. (2018, June 4). Almost 90% of the garbage generated daily is not
recycled. Retrieved from http://www.wwf.org.pe/en/?uNewsID=32883
Town of Hilton Head Island. (2015, January 28). Why Is It Important to Care About
the Environment? Retrieved from
http://www.hiltonheadislandsc.gov/sustainability/whycare.cfm
UNEP. (2019). ‘’ Programme Performance Report 2018’ [PDF document].
Available from web address:
https://wedocs.unep.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.11822/27734/PPR_2018_FIN
AL.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y
