UNEP

Deforestation of the Amazon

The Committee: The United Nations Environmental Programme is responsible for enabling nations and people to improve their quality of life whilst not harming generations to come. The Environmental Programme strives to encourage collaboration concerned with caring for the environment, solidifying environmental standards, and making sure that environmental legislation is followed. The Environmental Programme is divided into six areas of concentration to help organize and maximize efficiency. The Climate Change UNEP provides the means for countries to integrate climate change responses. The Post-Conflict and Disaster Management UNEP helps seek solutions on how to assist the environment in a crisis-stricken country. Ecosystem management focuses on managing and restoring ecosystems sustainably. Harmful Substance UNEP attempts to lessen the amount of hazardous and harmful materials. Lastly, the Resource Efficiency/Sustainable Consumption and Production UNEP strives to ensure that natural resources are handled in a sustainably friendly manner. All of these subsections work on specific issues which allows for problems to be solved efficiently. However, all these subsections have one goal in mind: to ensure that the global environment is progressing in the right direction for all inhabitants on Earth.

The Topic: Carbon dioxide, the planet’s most dangerous greenhouse gas, absorbs heat released from the Earth's surface and re-emits it in all directions, including back toward the surface. Thus, releasing more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere leads to an increase in the natural greenhouse effect, causing an increase in global warming. Today, the Amazon region is already releasing significant amounts of carbon into the atmosphere, reaching record levels due to forest fires and degradation. Additionally, the lack of government assistance with small-scale farmers creates a situation where farmers feel the need to farm in sections of the Amazon in order to survive and support their families. With the election of Jair Bolsonaro in 2018, Brazil’s policies concerning the Amazon have reached global publicity, as Bolsonaro has outwardly stated that he plans on prioritizing opening up the Amazon to commerce. This is problematic because the Amazon region is home to 47 million people who depend on it for their livelihoods, including 2.2 million indigenous people from over 500 distinct groups. Hundreds of indigenous groups live in the Amazon and, because of deforestation, many have been displaced. It is known that Indigenous communities receive threats from the government if they do not vacate their homes. This UNEP Committee will focus on the three main issues stated above; the effect of deforestation on climate, the lack of government intervention, and the exploitation of Indigenous peoples.