At this point in time, almost the entire world is aware of the worsening effects of our climates due to human activity. In order to combat the intensifying effects of global climate change, collaboration between nations is not just recommended but instead necessary. While this realization may seem like common sense, it seems that, in reality, implementing a global solution to reducing greenhouse gas emissions is extremely difficult. Every year, the Conference of the Parties (COP), consisting of the five recognized UN regions, meets in order to reevaluate the progress made by the Parties in achieving the ultimate goal set by the United Nations Framework Convention to Climate Change (UNFCCC). The UNFCCC strives to “stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system.” With the goal of uniting all nations under a common objective and accelerating the process of combatting climate change, at COP 21 in Paris, the Paris Climate Agreement was formed. To halt the consistent temperature increase we have seen over the past decades, the Paris Climate Agreement maintains the goal to keep “a global temperature rise this century well below 2 degree Celsius above pre-industrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase even further to 1.5 degrees Celsius.” Currently, the Paris Agreement and goals surrounding the Agreement are being used to hold governments accountable for their greenhouse gas emission rates. As part of my Climate Change and Society course this semester, I will be facilitating a Mock UN Conference that is completely student led. The debate will be “held” through En-ROADS, a virtual Climate Action Simulation, that will feature students representing China, The European Union, India, The United States, Other Developing Countries, US Cities and States, Climate Activists, and Fossil Fuel Activists. The goal of the simulator is to have all of the entities participating in the global summit work together in order to test solutions and propose new strategies to addressing climate change. It follows the same goals as the Paris Climate Agreement. As a facilitator it is my goal to maintain a respectful environment for all stakeholders by allowing for equal speaking time and utilizing zoom features. It is also my goal to make sure that all the stakeholders completely understand the simulation model and are clear on the objectives of the simulation by giving ample background information and details. It will also be necessary for me and my fellow moderator to keep track of time because of the short 75 minutes we have to run the simulation. In order to do so, I will limit the time for each “step.” I will follow the following steps during our Climate Action Simulation:
Overall, I am excited to see what the participants from different regions and organizations around the world will come up with. It will be a very mind opening experience with lots of opportunity to learn from each other and gain new perspectives. References:
https://unfccc.int/resource/bigpicture/index.html#content-the-paris-agreemen https://unfccc.int/process-and-meetings/the-paris-agreement/what-is-the-paris-agreement https://unfccc.int/process/bodies/supreme-bodies/conference-of-the-parties-cop https://docs.climateinteractive.org/projects/en-roads/en/latest/guide/about.html https://en-roads.climateinteractive.org/scenario.html?v=2.7.29
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