Name: Om Shah
Country: United States of America
Committee: ECOSOC Environmental (UNEP)
Topic: Renewable Energy
United States of America – Renewable Energy
What started out as a radical theory [1] slowly grew into one of the most hotly contested political topics in the United States of America. Carbon emissions and their effect on the climate have been thoroughly researched over the past decade. Even after thousands of separate studies were conducted, utilizing millions of dollars, [2] the results were found to be inconclusive. Yes, temperatures around the globe are increasing, but this is a natural phenomenon. [3] Scientists have found that temperature fluctuations are a constant phenomenon in the natural cycle of the Earth. Any claims that manmade fossil fuel emissions are changing the Earth’s climate are simply absurd and often, egocentric.
Even the Radical Left Democrats have to admit that our data on global temperatures is extremely limited [4]. Weather patterns around the world were first officially recorded just over 100 years ago. [5] While this may seem to be enough data to make conclusions about the climate, the Earth has existed for over 4.5 billion years. [6] To reiterate, mankind has only gathered data from 0.00000002% of the Earth’s lifetime. Yet, scientists and the fake media are claiming to have a thorough understanding of the Earth’s long term climate patterns. If data was somehow obtained from the entirety of Earth’s existence, it would clearly indicate that the temperature is remaining relatively constant.
Even if it was found that the temperature rise of today is truly irregular, it would have no consequence of significant bearing upon the world. Even the most radical proponents of action on climate change estimate the global temperature rise to be 0.5°C. [7] This measly change isn’t doing anyone any harm. Climate change is clearly a liberal conspiracy, designed to scare the hardworking people of the United States of America and the rest of the world. Furthermore, many countries are advocating for action on climate change, simply to impede the progress of the United States of America, something President Donald J. Trump will not stand for. [8]
The President’s philosophy of “America First” [9] applies perfectly to climate change actions. The United States of America refuses to blindly follow the UN majority off a cliff. Along with most other solutions to climate change, renewable energy is a handicap for economic growth with no true benefits. [10] The only winner of renewable energy is the country that continues to operate using oil, achieving its maximum potential for economic growth, while “clean” countries struggle to keep up. The United States will not allow itself to fall victim to this ploy by other nations looking to surpass its economy. [11]
President Trump is a firm believer that the current system of oil-based energy is vastly superior to that of a renewable energy system. [12] One of the biggest advantages possessed by oil over renewable energies is the existing infrastructure. If renewable energies were truly implemented globally on a massive scale, the cost of construction would be enormous. Hundreds of millions of wind turbines, dams, and solar panels would have to be built in order to replace fossil fuel energy sources. [13] On the other hand, infrastructure for oil is already in place and would not cost the member states of the UN anything.
Even in poverty-stricken areas where energy infrastructure has not been built, oil is a better option than renewable energy. This is because building the infrastructure for oil is far cheaper than building the necessary infrastructure for renewable energy. One wind turbine, which is only sufficient for approximately 1,000 homes [14], can cost over $4 million to make. [15] While these projects may be feasible in the long run, the United States of America does not find it efficient to spend so much money on building infrastructure that is unnecessary.
As previously established, there is no environmental incentive to invest in renewable energy, since climate change is simply not a concern. Thus, the only motivation for the United States of America to invest in renewable energy would be economic. In this area, the United States of America is open to compromise. If renewable energies can be undoubtedly proven to be more cost-efficient than fossil fuels, President Trump will not hesitate to support a UNEP resolution endorsing renewable.
However, this is simply not the case currently. Taking initial fixed costs into account, every form of renewable energy has been shown to be more expensive. [16] This is especially true on a large scale. If the United States of America were to switch to mainly renewable energies, it would mark the single largest cessation of fossil fuels in history. A shift this massive is simply not comparable to a small nation going net-zero. In order to truly create economic motivation to employ renewable energy, research and development are clearly necessary. However, the United States of America refuses to foot the bill for the United Nations once again. Seeing as the United States comprises of 4.67% of the global population, [17] the United States will not fund a penny more than 4.67% of any research fund dedicated to renewable energy.
The United States of America looks forward to working with many other countries in UNEP, such as the BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, China) nations and other rapidly industrializing economies. In addition, the United States expects to collaborate with other oil-producing countries such as those in OPEC.
- Om Shah
