Position Paper

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Recommended: Easy about Kyoto protocol

Position Paper
Country: Canada
Council: General Assembly 1
Topic: Sustainable development: The creation of a new protocol on greenhouse gas emissions
Date: February, 2014

Section A
Brief background of issue at hand
During the industrial revolution in the early 19th century, industrialised nations (Appendix I countries in Kyoto Protocol + U.S.) have adopted advanced production methods that are fossil fuels-intensive. These production methods led to a boom in productivity and quality of life, yet it didn’t come totally without a cost. For a prolonged period of time, the setbacks of these methods have been long neglected by humanity. It was not discovered until late 20th century that the by-products of fossil fuels combustion, now better known as greenhouse gases, are leading to anthropogenic global climate change. If humanity fails to cut emission significantly compared to the peak value circa 2030, it will be very likely that the surface temperature of Earth will rise by at least a degree Celsius. Under such condition, simulations have revealed that extreme weather conditions, i.e. increased droughts and floods, are very likely to happen.
In the 21st century, industrialised nations will contribute to less than 20% of increased greenhouse gas emissions. In the stark opposite, developing nations (Appendix II countries in Kyoto Protocol) will contribute to more than 80% of increased greenhouse gas emissions. According to IPCC reports, it is of utmost importance for us to reduce emissions in the following century so as to prevent a global-scale environmental catastrophe.
In 1997, leaders of humanity gathered in Kyoto so as to devise a way to cut global emissions. The Kyoto Protocol (an addendum of UNFCCC) was created to reduce glob...

... middle of paper ...

...ble to produce an agreement which Canada is unable to reach. Therefore, Canada would only bind an agreement which is “aggressively progressive” (per the official statement), with global-wide participation and obligation.
Possible solutions to alleviate the problem
As mentioned above, Canada would like developing nations to bind goals legally, which may not necessarily reduce emissions compared to current levels. Developing nations could reduce their carbon intensity, while developed nations could make modest and executable goals in reducing overall emissions. Apart from the current US$1.2 billion investment in the Green Climate Fund, Canada is willing to fund future environmentally friendly projects and technological developments. If the developing nations can guarantee anti-espionage measures, Canada is also willing to export its technologies overseas.
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