MODEL UNITED NATIONS

⸻⸻⸻⸻ STUDY GUIDE

COMMITTEE OF THE UNITED NATIONS
ENVIROMENT PROGRAMME

1. INTRODUCTION TO THE CHAIR

Hello and welcome to this year’s KAFMUN. I will be your chair,

Ülkü, in this United Nations Environment Program committee. I
am a graduates from the Kültür Science High and assisted 6 or
7 times at the MUNs from previous years. (I also know what it’s
like being delegate so you can be relaxed!) My role as chair is
to guide you through these three MUN days as well as keeping
your debates flowing and ensuring that the rules are followed
by all of the delegates. Naturally I will also assure that this
experience will be fun and interesting for all of you. I hope you
will enjoy it!

2. INTRODUCTION TO THE COMMITTEE

The United Nations Environment Programme or UNEP is an

assembly which headquarters are located in Nairobi, Kenya. It
was and still is a completely dependent organization of the
United Nations. It was a governing council founded in June 1972
by Maurice Strong, after the United Nations Conference on the
Human Environment. Its main goals were coordinating
organizations
activities regarding environment, and assisting developing
countries in making environmental policies. In June 2012, this
assembly was strengthened and upgraded in the course of the
United Nations Conference of the Sustainable Environment or
Rio+20 : environment was now a big issue and at the center of
discussions.

During these 51 years of activity, the assembly did multiple

notable achievements:

 Limiting emissions of gases in 1987 because of its impact

regarding the ozone layer.
 Limiting toxic mercury with a treaty in 2012.
 Sponsoring solar loan programmes that helped 100,000 people in
India.
 With the UNESCO they promoted and were heavily involved in
raising environmental awareness in education from 1975 to 1995.
 In a forum held in Germany in 2008, UNEP called for facilities for
electric vehicles.
 Regarding protection for seas, education about this topic and
interventions had taken place in countries affected by an
alteration of the sea levels.
 Up to this day UNEP is still working on future achievements for
the environment.

UNEP has no executive powers but on the other hand has many
mandates such as:
 integrating climate change solutions within countries
 post-conflict and disaster management
 ecosystem management and restoration and sustainable
development
 environmental governance, implementing through laws,
institutions and policies a sustainable development
 minimizing the impact of harmful substances
 resource efficiency : ensuring natural resources are
produced and consumed with respect towards the
environment.

3. INTRODUCTION TO THE TOPIC

Topic: Exploring Alternative Fuels to Replace Depleted Fossil

Fuels
Introduction: The depletion of fossil fuels and their harmful
environmental impacts necessitate the exploration and development of
alternative fuels.
This study guide aims to address the opportunities and challenges
associated with transitioning to alternative fuels that are sustainable,
environmentally friendly, and can meet global energy demands.
Delegates will discuss various alternative fuel options, their viability,
and strategies for promoting their adoption.

Background: The study guide will provide an overview of the

environmental impact of fossil fuels, including greenhouse gas
emissions and air pollution.
It will explore the need for alternative fuels and their potential benefits,
such as reduced emissions, energy security, and economic
opportunities.
Delegates will also examine the existing alternative fuel technologies
and their limitations.

a. Ensuring the protection of the enviroment.

Wildlife includes animals, but also plants, insects, molluscs… that haven’t
been domesticated and live in a wild area. However, the important place
taken by humans on Earth tend to modify their habitat and create
situations of great danger.
Wildlife can be put in danger in several ways: it’s sensitive to great climate
or landscape changes, hunting, pollution…

Objectives :
1. Assess the environmental and socioeconomic benefits of renewable
energy sources and their potential contribution to sustainable
development.
In current societies, access to energy is a major factor for sustainability in
both developed and developing countries. Small islands are particularly
vulnerable in this regard: their geographic position strongly limits the
possibility of grid connection to a larger electricity network. Since most
small islands lack fossil-fuel sources, fuels have to be imported, which
exposes them to increases in fossil fuel prices.
For a short time, islands have been somewhat forgotten in the renewable
energy and sustainable development discussion, with sustainable
development understood as encompassing a triple economic, social and
environmental dimension. However, recently, islands were included in the
agenda for cooperation initiatives in forums like the European Union and
the United Nations. Countries in Europe are developing renewable energy
projects in their islands, from the use of wind energy to illuminate the
hotels in the Canary Islands to solar energy for households in Crete.
Besides the individual national projects, there is a variety of partnerships,
initiatives and networks created to transfer, develop, investigate and
employ technologies, as well as to set up an effective energy policy, with
due consideration to the particular needs of islands.

2. Identify barriers and challenges hindering the widespread adoption

of renewable energy technologies and propose effective strategies
to overcome them.

The widespread adoption of renewable energy technologies is crucial for

achieving sustainable development goals and mitigating climate change.
However, numerous barriers and challenges hinder their implementation
on a global scale. This discussion topic aims to identify and examine these
barriers and challenges, and propose effective strategies and solutions to
overcome them, thereby accelerating the transition to renewable energy
sources.
Since the beginning of the 21st Century, renewable energy has been
asignificant area of research amongst scientists. However, despite
scientists coming upwith practical and convincing technologies on
renewable energy, the process of gettingpeople to switch from their use of
non-renewable energy sources has been quite slow anduncertain
especially in the developing nations.

Many studies indicate that most countries have an enormous potential for
renewableenergy production. However, for some reasons, the current
renewable energyapplication in these countries is negligible compared to
their potential (3). For example,though India is rich in both renewable and
conventional energy resources, coal hascontinued to be the dominant
source of electricity due to its availability, suitability to theneeds and
relatively low cost. Similarly, Africa experiences a slow development rate
as a result of little access torenewable energy; this is because of the high
levels of limitations from underprivilegedenergy policies, inadequate
funds, lack of technological advances, as well as lack ofadequate
infrastructures. Additionally, rapid growth in population and
subsequentincrease in energy demand in the developing countries has led
to emerging energy crisiswhich in effect increases people’s dependence
on non-renewable energy sources.

Talk about political barriers, economical barriers, ethical barriers, technical

barriers.

3. Discuss mechanisms to promote investment in renewable energy

projects, including financial incentives, policy frameworks, and
international cooperation.

Energy usage is an integral part of daily life and is pivotal across different
sectors, including commercial, transportation, and residential users, with
the latter consuming 40% of the energy produced globally (Dawson,
2015). However, with the ongoing penetration of electric vehicles into the
market (Hardman et al., 2017), the transportation sector’s energy usage is
expected to increase substantially (Fachrizal et al., 2020). According to the
United Nations (UN), the world’s population will reach 9.7 billion by 2050.
To meet the growing demand for energy resources without the use of –
depleting – fossil fuels that produce environmentally harmful carbon
emissions, several actions have been implemented globally (Malik et al.,
2019, Qadir et al., 2020, United Nations, 2015). The 1987 Montreal
Protocol, aimed at reducing the consumption of ozone-depleting
substances, led to a substantial recovery of the ozone layer (UN
Environment Programme, 2009). Similarly, the 1997 Kyoto Protocol
obliged countries to invest in green energy technologies (UNFCCC, 2012).
This was later replaced in 2015 by the Paris Agreement/COP21
(Conference of the Parties), based on which subsequent energy policies
and plans have been formulated (United Nations, 2015).

Renewable energy production capacity increment from 2000 to 2019. The

world is divided into nine geographical regions.

4. Explore ways to enhance energy efficiency and develop smart grid

systems for effective integration of renewable energy into existing
infrastructure.

The backbone of a smart grid, known as a complex System of Systems

(SOS) [33], highlights ESS technology to reach better asset utilization,
while to maintain reliable system operation, demand response, and
environmental protection through employing various generation types
(e.g. solar and wind). In this regard, the main concept of the smart grid
revolves around bi-directional communication and power flow according to
the definition proposed by NIST Smart Grid Conceptual Reference Model,
through seven domains which are: bulk generation, transmission,
distribution, markets, operations, service provider, and customer.
However, Smart Grids have to be analyzed from a SoS point of view to
realize their full potential and optimize the whole system [33]. Arasteh et
al. used the concept of SoS to model the expansion of DGs which may
belong to the distribution companies or the private investors, considering
the independent behavior of each system with respect to other entities
[34]. As private investors and distribution companies are autonomous,
heterogeneous and independently operable systems are connected to
provide a common goal, their behavior could be analyzed from a SoS
perspective to model their correlation. The SoS perspective aggregates
different autonomous systems, interacting on various levels, which are
characterized by operational and managerial independence [35]. A
representative example of this perspective is the energy management
sector in which the Smart Grid is known as a complex system composed of
heterogeneous and independent sub-systems (e.g., consumers, producers,
prosumers, storages, etc.) that interact to compete or cooperate [36].
Different strategies for coordinating constituent systems of a SoS exist
such as centralized coordination, where a Central Controller (CC)
coordinates constituent systems at the SoS level and all constituent
systems have their own controllers for management and operations,
known as Local Controllers (LC) [37]. A decentralized strategy for SoS can
also be used, where neither a CC nor a pre-specified rule or agreement for
constituent systems exists [37]. Another strategy for SoS is a coordinating
strategy which is considered as a hybrid strategy that mixes both
centralized and decentralized coordination.

In this regard, the Smart Grid should be considered as a complex system

where the main grid contains multiple micro-grids. These micro-grids
consist of several nano-grids known as small residential power systems
with renewable sources, storage systems, and domestic loads. The nano-
grids and micro-grids are the electric grids which correspond to the
residential power systems and neighborhoods, respectively. They are also
connected to the power distribution grid or to another micro-grid [31]. The
micro-grid involves different technologies and contains loads, distributed
generators (PV or wind turbines), Distributed Systems, Electric Vehicles
(EVs), ESSs and power electronic systems [32], [33]. In this regard, power
electronic systems are required to enable the micro-grid to operate in grid-
connected or island modes. Moreover, these systems are needed to
connect DER to the nano-grids using inverters for PV or batteries to obtain
the required frequency.

5. Examine the role of technological innovation, research and

development, and capacity-building initiatives in advancing
renewable energy transition.
 Delegates' Responsibilities: Delegates are expected to represent
their assigned countries and research their country's current energy
policies, renewable energy targets, and existing initiatives. They
should propose concrete measures to promote renewable energy
adoption, considering their country's unique circumstances and
national priorities. Delegates should actively engage in negotiations,
collaborate with other delegates, and seek consensus on resolutions
that reflect the committee's objectives.

Conclusion: The committee's deliberations and resolutions will

contribute to international efforts to accelerate the transition to
renewable energy and promote sustainable development. The
committee's recommendations will be presented to the General
Assembly of the United Nations for further consideration and
potential implementation.

1. TOPICS A RESOLUTION MUST COVER

1, Preambulatory Clauses: These clauses provide the context and rationale

for the resolution. They establish the importance of addressing the
depletion of fossil fuels and the need to explore alternative fuel options.
Preambulatory clauses may include references to relevant international
agreements, scientific findings, and the urgency of mitigating climate
change.

2, Operative Clauses: These clauses contain specific actions and

recommendations to address the issue at hand. They should propose
concrete steps that countries and relevant stakeholders can take to
explore and promote alternative fuels. Each operative clause should be
clear, concise, and action-oriented.

Here are some examples of operative clauses that could be included:

a. Calls upon member states to invest in research and development of

alternative fuel technologies, including biofuels, hydrogen, solar energy,
wind energy, geothermal energy, and others, to accelerate their viability
and scalability.

b. Urges member states to develop and implement comprehensive

national policies and regulatory frameworks that incentivize the use and
production of alternative fuels, including tax incentives, subsidies, and
feed-in tariffs.
c. Encourages international cooperation and knowledge-sharing among
member states to exchange best practices, lessons learned, and
technological advancements in the field of alternative fuels.

d. Calls for the establishment of public-private partnerships to facilitate

funding and investment in alternative fuel infrastructure, including
charging stations, hydrogen refueling stations, and renewable energy grid
integration.

e. Recommends the promotion of capacity-building programs, education,

and public awareness campaigns to foster understanding and acceptance
of alternative fuel technologies and their benefits.

f. Calls for the development of international standards and certification

systems to ensure the quality, safety, and sustainability of alternative
fuels throughout their value chains.

Signatories and Sponsors: The resolution should list the member states or
delegations that support and sponsor the resolution. These can include
countries that have actively participated in drafting the resolution or have
a vested interest in promoting alternative fuels.

Additional Considerations: The resolution may include provisions for

monitoring and reporting progress on the implementation of the
resolution. It can also call for the formation of committees, working
groups, or task forces to facilitate ongoing discussions, share information,
and review the effectiveness of adopted measures.

Remember, the resolution paper should be clear, concise, and address the
key aspects of exploring alternative fuels. It should propose feasible
actions that can be implemented by member states and relevant
stakeholders to foster the transition away from fossil fuels towards
sustainable alternatives.

Good luck !