TOPIC: Nuclear energy as part of a low-

carbon strategy to accelerate economic

and social growth in developing
countries

INTRODUCTION TO THE TOPIC

Climate change resilient technology are technologies such as solar powered photovoltaic water pumps
and vaccine chains that can enhance resilience by ensuring independent water and energy supplies to
remote rural facilities and for continued use during emergencies. Health systems also constitute a
significant share of many national economies. Some of these environmental technologies include wind
power, hydropower, solar power, geothermal energy and biomass or bioenergy.

Low carbon resilience has become the new buzzword in climate policy; it is an agenda that is tactless
reducing carbon emissions while simultaneously building climate resilience and supporting development
in a supposed win-win policy agenda. Although least developed countries are responsible for less than
five percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, some of them have developed plans to bring together
the issues into one agenda. There are three policy agenda within low carbon resilient development:
adaptation, mitigation and development. Adaptation are activities that support development as well as
those that address climate risk and vulnerabilities. Mitigation is about the reduction of greenhouse
gases; in low developing countries, these reductions are likely to be found in forestry, energy and
infrastructure sectors. Development is about reducing poverty and supporting countries to reach their
national objectives, often in traditional areas of education, health and infrastructure planning. Although
this is closely linked to adaptation, not all development is adaptation, nor is all adaptation development.

To create awareness and demonstrate the opportunities as well as benefits, of low carbon growth and
climate resilient development in the productive industries in African countries, UNIDO applies Green
Industry policy instrument, practices and techniques. UNIDO is an agency of the United Nations that
specializes in promoting industrial development for poverty reduction, inclusive globalization and
environmental sustainability.

HISTORY OF THE TOPIC.

Different countries’ say on climate change.

Egypt

Climate change is hitting Egypt’s industry hard. Extended summers, high temperatures, extreme
weather peaks and unpredictable weather changes have led to high refrigeration costs, cooling system
failures, crop wipe-outs through disease, ad hoc harvest date shifting, higher waste and loss of business.
Add to this a government plan to increase electricity prices to an international-standard and it's easy to
see how daunting a challenge Egyptian companies face. But it’s not an unclimbable mountain. Due to
UNIDO’s, Egyptian companies are embracing smart-low carbon climate resilient technology and reducing
costs.

Kenya

According to reports, annual average maximum temperatures is rise by 0.4◦C to 2◦C, and average air
temperature to surpass 23.5◦C. Rainfall distribution will become more uneven, as rain amounts decrease
between September and April and increase between May and August. The temperature rises and rainfall
instability mean a shrinkage of suitable areas for tea growing

There are some common terms and approaches that have been used in the effort to solve this issue.

TERMINOLOGY FOCUS
Low emission development strategies/low carbon Economic growth and low emissions being
growth policies combines into one agenda
Climate -compatible development Development-first approach that minimizes harm
from climate impacts while maximizing
development opportunities
Low-emission climate-resilient development Combines climate-compatible development and
low emission climate development strategies
with equal emphasis on all three agendas
Green growth Prioritizes ‘greening’ the economy by
transforming the energy and other key sectors,
among to achieve poverty reduction through
economic growth

Individual country experiences

Bangladesh

Bangladesh Climate Change and Strategy Plan (BCCSAP) was intended to include low-carbon
development options, to be implemented over decades as the national economy grew and the demand
for energy increased. The addition of mitigation concerns in the plan faced some resistance in the
strategy design stage. This was due in part of the long-standing concern in Bangladesh that the green
agenda is a deterrent. Although mitigation is only a small component of the plan (with 3.2% of the total
resource), it was retained to support funding and address concerns around energy access and security.

BCCSAP has identified the following key sectors for low carbon development;

• Afforestation and reforestation

• Renewable energy development
• Gas exploration and reservoir management
• Urban waste
• Lower emissions from agriculture

Ethiopia

Ethiopia aims to achieve middle-income status by 2025 while developing a green economy. The country
is developing climate resilience and green economy strategies simultaneously but separately. The
government has realized that following a conventional development path would result in an increase in
greenhouse gas emissions and unsustainable use of natural resources; to avoid these effects as it is
focusing policy on the CRGE.

It is acknowledged that if climate change mitigation and adaptation are seen as goals in conflict with
economic development, they risk being de-prioritized and underfunded. The main concerns in the plan
therefore reflect unsustainable use of natural resources, being locked into outdated technologies and
losing an ever-increasing share of GDP to fuel imports.

Gambia

Climate change is being mainstreamed in national development policies. In the energy sector, for
example there are plans to:

• Reduce the pressure on natural forests

• Provide access to reliable technologies and better or cheaper fuels
• Limit damage to infrastructure
• Improve energy efficiency, disaster planning and water resource management
• Raise public aware
• Restore diversity and health of ecosystems
• Develop cleaner public transport
• Promote clean technology
• Minimize the impact of flooding and saline intrusion in lowlands.

Other countries that have shared their experiences include; Bhutan, Cambodia, Lao PDR, Mozambique,
Nepal and Rwanda.

CURRENT TRENDS OF THE TOPIC:

To deliver early results during the next ten years on the pathway to a net zero
world, the IEA estimates that advanced economies such as the USA and EU will
need to reduce coal demand by 75–90% and institute a wave of coal fired plant
retirements. Even without strong action on climate change, challenging market
conditions could lead to about 275 GW of coal fired capacity (equivalent to 13% of
2019 totals) going offline by 2025, including 100 GW in the US and 75 GW in the
EU [21]. These projections are consistent with the direction of policy in several
countries. For instance, the EU Green Deal, a plan to make Europe climate neutral
by 2050, encourages the power sector to move rapidly towards lower emissions,
and 16 out of 27 EU Member States have already endorsed or begun considering
the phase out of coal over the coming decades [33]. In these countries, the
pressure to find solutions for a just transition in the coal sector and beyond is a
pressing issue. Figure 6 illustrates how existing structural economic and social
challenges could be amplified by the phasing out of coal in the EU. A large
proportion of coal power plants and mines are in lower income regions, i.e.,
regions with a GDP per capita below the national average. In some extreme cases,
regional incomes are less than half the national average. The coal phase out will
place additional pressure on those regions with a less diverse economy and lower
wages, thus making a just transition more challenging.

Questions a resolution to the topic must

answer:
What impact does nuclear energy have on society?
What are the two biggest challenges to adopting nuclear energy?
Is nuclear energy the best way to solve the energy crisis?
How does nuclear energy affect the economy?
Does nuclear energy have a positive or negative impact on the
environment?
What are the biggest challenges to adopting nuclear energy?
Do you think nuclear energy is a good energy source?
What are the costs and benefits to the environment of using nuclear
energy?

SITES TO HELP YOU WITH YOUR

FURTHER REASEARCH:
https://www.orano.group/en/unpacking-nuclear/7-good-
reasons-for-turning-to-nuclear-power-to-combat-global-
warming#:~:text=Nuclear%20power%20is%20one%20of,f
or%20the%20low-carbon%20transition.
https://www.iaea.org/sites/default/files/21/10/nuclear-
energy-for-a-net-zero-world.pdf
https://www.unep.org

In conclusion we as the Charing dais would like to wish you

delegates a fruitful and interactive conference, kindly use this
background guide as a light that will further guide you in your
research and exploration in this topic. We hope you come
prepared for both the mock debate and conference to speak as
much as your heart desires. We are hopeful that most of you will
interact with each other and make so many new memories, we
can’t wait to see you all and make so many amazing memories!

GFG