Topic: Environmental Impacts of Emerging Energy Technology
Country: Saudi Arabia
Delegate Name: Sydney Young
School: Northville High School
Topic page: background guide and all position papers All Saudi Arabia position papers GLIMUN 2010 committees
The government of Saudi Arabia believes the effects of emerging technology do not need to be extensively studied, researched, or dealt with. One reason behind their stance on emerging technology is the fact that new forms of energy production and other advances do not see widespread global use; only 2.7% of the world's energy in 2008 came from new types of energy such as wind energy and solar energy. The majority of the world still runs on fossil fuels such as oil and coal. Thus, the problem of over 6,000 birds dying in the US due to wind turbines in is relatively minor compared to the effect of BP’s oil spill on the wildlife of the U.S.'s Gulf coast. As for the lithium ion battery, the majority of environmental impact lies with methods for charging the battery. Charging a lithium ion battery with electricity produced via fossil fuels causes a different impact compared with using solar energy to charge the battery. The two major environmental impacts of a lithium ion battery itself are how the lithium is obtained and how it is disposed. Countries that use the majority of lithium ion batteries should be required to set up environmentally safe ways to dispose of them or, preferably, recycle them. If a country plans to mine lithium, they should have proper environmental safety ordinances, as lithium is a corrosive metal. Furthermore, breathing lithium dust can cause lung problems, so the safety of miners should also be taken into account. In conclusion, Saudi Arabia believes that the effects of emerging technology and energy production are minor, but is in support of regulations which protect the environment.
