Environment Committee – Opening Speeches

The first day of the IASIMUN conference in the Environment Committee began with the opening speeches of the delegates in order for everyone to understand each country’s position about the main ecological issues.

Important problems like ensuring ecological sustainability, promotion of new and renewable sources of energy and reviewing the emissions trading procedure, as set out in the Article 17 of the Kyoto Protocol have been brought up for one whole hour, causing pro and against opinions.

Being encouraged by their chairpeople, Maria Astefanoaei and Catalin Toma, the delegates expressed their view in what concerns reducing the amount of toxic gasses, developing new technologies for converting solar, wind and hydro energy into electricity and making a common effort to sustain poor countries in developing a climate protection system. Countries like Afghanistan, Bolivia, Denmark, China and others would like to adopt a strategy based on implementing renewable sources of energy, while Guatemala stood against and considered solving the problem morally.

On the other hand, China thinks of training people to be more civilized in what concerns dumping trash and polluting waters; moreover, USA, as one of the greatest power of the world is still dealing with such environmental issues. Opposed to this, East Timor believes that even small countries can make a difference, facing nowadays economical crisis. Cambodia, having an enormous hydro power potential, is thinking of creating a balance between technology and environment to ensure economical stability. Whereas some of the delegates were concerned with all three issues posed in the Environment Committee, some of them relied on only one problem. All delegates were actively involved in the conference except for the Thailand delegate, who missed the meeting.

Overall, the delegates from the Environment Committee managed to make a view of how the conference will develop in the next two days. Furthermore, they are expected to collaborate beyond this meeting, as the chairperson Catalin Toma encouraged them to do, by being themselves the difference they want to see in the world. “Change must be seen in each and every one of us” said the chairperson Maria Astefanoaei said at the Opening Ceremony, and so do the delegates of the Environment Committee follow to obtain a clean and better world for tomorrow’s generation.

Written by: Andreea Oltean, Claudia Georgiana Bejan