The shift from Fossil Fuels to renewable energy sources has been a tentative topic for multiple years. Because the threat of global warming worsens every year, the promotion of sustainable energy practices were discussed and debated at this year’s General Assembly 2. Renewable energy sources such as hydroelectricity, solar power, geothermal energy, etc… were considered by the various countries convening at this assembly. Discrepancies between each resolution plan in terms of accessibility, timing, costliness, and political affiliation gave rise to important inquiries, such as the delegate of Venezuela’s question on the effect switching from fossil fuels to renewable resources can have on the economies of countries that export fossil fuels (Ex: oil, coal). Dubious country associations such as Austria and Russia were also called into question, seeing as Austria’s economy has been negatively affected by Russia’s recent invasion of Ukraine.
After speaking to the representative of Jordan, we learned that though Jordan supports the more prevalent use of sustainable energy, the switch must be in moderation. If too drastic of a change is made too quickly, the economy that benefits greatly from imported oil and natural gas could become distressed. On that point, the idea of varying timelines between developed and developing countries was suggested, proposing that developing countries have a 10-year period to increase renewable energy sources while more developed countries who are stable enough to have already introduced more sustainable energy practices have approximately 5 year time period. Nuclear power was even included in the conversation, but concerns such as the impending power gap between nations that can and can’t afford nuclear power components and plants were quickly raised. Though the topic of increasing renewable energy sourcing has been stagnant for a while, much progress was made today in terms of planning and setting goals.