Topic: Encouraging Alternative Energy
Country: Togo
Delegate Name: Maria Pacifico
School: Royal Oak High School
Topic page: background guide and all position papers All Togo position papers GLIMUN 2015 committees
The country of Togo would like to address the problem of greenhouse gases affecting the world. Though Togo has not personally caused a lot of carbon emission, Togo is aware of the global issues of greenhouse gases and understands it needs to be fixed. Nevertheless, Togo has urbanization on the rise which is increasing our carbon emissions. Togo has released 0.05% of the world’s total carbon emissions. This number is going to increase through the next years if we do not do anything to prevent it. Togo’s temperature is predicted to increase 0.60°C to 0.71°C in the next 10 years.
Since urbanization has grown in Togo, air pollution has gone up and air quality has gone down. 21.7% of our fuel is made up from fossil fuels. Most, if not all, of the fossil fuels used are caused by burning trees we cut down from our forests. Togo has one of the largest deforestation rates in the world. We have lost 44% of our forests and lose an average of 3.4% more of our forest every year.
In 2012, USAID gave $1.8 million to Togo and five other West African states to reduce greenhouse emissions from deforestation and another $1.2 million to help promote hydroelectric power plants in West Africa for electricity. Togo now uses 78.3% of their electricity with hydroelectric plants but still has a major deforestation rate. Togo plans on trying to reforest thousands of trees. “The weakness of reforestation coupled with deforestation has significant negative impacts on the living conditions of rural populations. Our goal is to have a national forest cover from 20% to 2035,” the Minister of the Environment and Forest Resources, Andre Johnson, said. With the decrease of deforestation, Togo and Africa are trying to increase the amount of hydro, wind, and sun power. The International Renewable Energy Agency plans in 2030, Africa and will install 100 GW of wind power, 100 GW of hydro, and 70 GW of solar throughout the continent. Over the years of 2015 and 2030, this operation will cost around $70 billion but will reduce Africa’s usual fuels by 60%.
Togo has signed on many other plans and resolutions like the Environmental Action Plan (NEAP), Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) 2010-2050, Climate & Clean Air Coalition (CCAC), etc. Togo also supports the newly made Paris Agreement which asks countries to help to prevent the rise of the global temperature.
In conclusion, in Togo and everywhere else in the world, the global temperature is rising. To stop this we need to change the ways we use energy, trying to eliminate the burning of fossil fuels and further contribution to greenhouse gases by using other forms of energy such as solar power. Togo does not have a large carbon footprint, but we still wish to use alternate resources to reduce carbon emissions and have widespread sustainable energy.
