Country: United Mexican States
Committee: Environmental (ECOSOC)
Topic: Renewable Energy
Delegate: Anthony Moncman
School: Saginaw Arts and Sciences Academy
The inveterate problems that have arisen from using inefficient and unsustainable energy practices have ramifications that can be seen through the present day; they also possess an unassailable threat to the future to the survival of our species. Many of these unsustainable energy practices include the use of fossil fuels over more environmentally-conscious alternatives. The burning of many of these fossil fuels results in the emission of greenhouse gases that will be stored in the atmosphere and gradually reflects and traps heat on the Earth’s surface. The results of this have been and will continue to be very grievous, as many ecosystems have already begun to be distressed. There have been many suggested alternatives to unsustainable energy practices, generally being renewable energy. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), “Renewable power capacity is set to expand by 50% between 2019 and 2024.” This transformation is projected to come largely from solar PV energy, which has the potential to be sustainable, efficient, and economically stable. Despite the assumed increase in solar energy, it should also be noted that hydropower has increased dramatically in use, from nearly under 1000 TWh in 1965 to more than 4000 TWh in 2016. However, the increased use of these means of renewable energy has not been seen in a large enough scale to begin limiting climate change nearly enough, as renewable energy resources are still second to traditional methods of fuel.
Mexico has long been aware and humbled by the growing need for renewable energy sources to dominate the energy market. In 2012 the highly ambitious law passed by the Mexican government stating that Mexico’s intentions were to increase the amount of renewable energy produced to 34% by 2024 and 50% by 2050. In 2018 the Mexican government was to build a highly organized wind farm that had amassed the same amount of wind powered energy sources as some nations who had been working on the same goal for more than six times as long. Mexico had introduced auctions for energy resources and capacity that were open for foreign and domestic investment. This transaction was described by the IEA as, “one of the most sophisticated procurement mechanisms for renewable energy…” whose reach and scope “represent the most ambitious energy system transformation worldwide in recent years.” This success in the areas of solar and wind power brought by Mexico has allowed the nation to move away from more environmentally destructive means of harvesting energy.
The delegation of Mexico notes that it is increasingly important for other nations to act along similar veins that Mexico has. Many of its Latin American neighboring countries have adapted many of the same policies that have led to the rampant success of the Mexican clean energy initiative. This delegation sees that its template can provide both a financially operative solution to developing and developed nations and an environmentally supportive way of harvesting energy. In addition to this, many NGO’s are becoming more actively involved in supporting this cause. One such NGO is the World Wildlife Organization, which combats many of the negative results of the consumption of the fossil fuels. With this structure and vigor being applied by Mexico along with many other nations, this delegation sees no reason why a future with clean energy should be anywhere close to a far-fetched fantasy.
- Anthony D Moncman
