Country: Kuwait
Committee: Environmental
School: Williamston High School
Topic: Renewable Energy
Delegate: Trucy Phan
Energy and electricity should be a rudimentary part of everyday life, but unreliable access to these sources have impeded billions of people to lack functioning electricity. While it is important to expand reliable access to electricity, increasing the amount of electricity generated from renewable energy sources is also a significant issue, especially with the growing concern of climate change. Using clean, renewable energy is a crucial action that must be encouraged in order to reduce negative changes in the environment. Electricity production from nonrenewable sources, such as coal and fossil fuel, is the top greenhouse gas polluting the atmosphere. Other renewable energy sources have recently become more competitive with fossil fuels in different regions. According to a report by the IEA, demand for world electricity will increase by 70% by the year 2040 as a result of the growing economies of India, China, Africa, the Middle East and South-Easr Asia. Affordable and clean energy has become such a pressing issue that the United Nations established it as the seventh of its 17 Sustainable Development goals in 2015. The Environmental committee has the task of finding a solution that would establish affordable and clean energy for all people, .
Kuwait would like to find a solution that would provide reliable access to people in every country. However, Kuwait would like to be able to maintain their oil reserves and sales. Kuwaits is responsible for approximately seven percent of global oil reserves and produces roughly 3.15 million barrels each day. The Kuwait Petroleum Corporation has announced that the oil companies intends to increase oil production capacity to 4 million barrels per day by 2020. As an OPEC member country, the oil and gas sector is responsible for 40 percent of Kuwait’s gross domestic product and roughly 92 percent of export revenues. Additionally, oil exports accounts for 90 percent of the government’s revenues. However, the country of Kuwait wants to meet 15 percent of its energy requirements, roughly 2000 MW, from renewable resources by 2030. The primary renewable energy source available in the country is solar and wind.
Kuwait is interested in cooperating with other nations in the UN to find a resolution that will address the issues surrounding renewable and reliable energy sources. Because of Kuwait’s economic reliance on oil exports, a solid, plausible solution would need to accommodate for this factor. Other OPEC nations would most likely have similar opinions, as well. Kuwait supports an initiative to slowly start a process that will replace fossil-fuel infrastructure. Ideas to lower the use of non-renewable energy sources could include enforcing vehicle pollution standards or a consumer tax to unclean energy sources. Kuwait expects to work with other OPEC nations for this topic, such as Iraq, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, and Algeria.
- Trucy Phan
