Rhodes MRC 2022

High School Edition

Position Paper
Committee: Our Planet Summit

Country: Sweden

Represented by: ……

Topic: Climate change; The impact on the environment and necessary measures

Eight… eight years is all we have left to stop irreversible damage to our planet from climate
change. Eight years is all that remains to avert global catastrophe.

Greenhouse gas emissions blanket the Earth and trap the sun’s heat. This leads to global warming
and climate change. According to the United Nations coal, oil, and gas – are by far the largest
contributors, accounting for over 75 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions and nearly 90 per
cent of all carbon dioxide emissions.

The world is now warming faster than at any point in recorded history.

In fact, The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has recorded that

 Global temperatures rose about one degree Celsius from 1901 to 2020.
 Sea level rise has accelerated from 1.7 mm per year throughout most of the twentieth
century to 3.2 mm per year since 1993.
 Glaciers are shrinking, average thickness of 30 well-studied glaciers has decreased
more than 60 feet since 1980.
 The area covered by sea ice in the Arctic at the end of summer has shrunk by about
40% since 1979.
 The amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has risen by 25% since 1958, and by
about 40% since the Industrial Revolution.
 And finally, snow is melting earlier compared to long-term averages.
We must act and we must act now.

In a series of UN reports, thousands of scientists and government reviewers agreed that limiting
global temperature rise to no more than 1.5 degrees Celsius would help us avoid the worst climate
impacts and maintain a livable climate. Yet policies currently in place point to a 2.8 degrees
Celsius temperature rise by the end of the century. Thousands of students around the world are
calling for world leaders to change these policies and to implement measures to protect our planet,
to protect our home.

In 2017, the highest decision-making assembly in Sweden decided by a large political

majority to introduce a climate policy framework with a climate act for Sweden. This
framework is the most important climate reform in Sweden’s history.

The framework contains ambitious climate goals, a climate act and a climate policy council.
The framework aims to create order and stability in climate policy. It provides business and
society with the long-term conditions to implement the transition needed to address the
challenge of climate change. For the first time, Sweden also has an act under which each
Government has an obligation to pursue a climate policy based on the climate goals adopted.
Each government must provide clear reports on how work to achieve the goals is progressing,
and an independent climate policy council reviews how well the Government’s overall policy
meets the climate.

The framework contains several climate goals for Sweden.

1. By 2045, Sweden is to have zero net emissions of greenhouse gases into the
atmosphere.
2. By 2030, emissions from domestic transport will be reduced by at least 70 per cent
compared with 2010.
3. By 2030, emissions in Sweden in the sectors covered by the EU Effort Sharing
Regulation should be at least 63 per cent lower than in 1990, out of which 8 percent
may achieved through supplementary measures.
4. By 2040, emissions in Sweden in the sectors that will be covered by the EU Effort
Sharing Regulation should be at least 75 per cent lower than in 1990, out of which 2
percent may achieved through supplementary measures.

Sweden, however, is also pioneering in urban innovation. By 2050 two-thirds of the world’s
population will live in cities, according to the UN, and Sweden has one of the fastest rates of
urbanisation in Europe. In Karlshamn in the south, the council now uses electric cargo bikes
for some of its deliveries, rather than lorries. It's a solution with two-fold benefits: it's more
environmentally friendly and safer for school children and people living in the area.
In Stockholm around 850,000 people use public transport on a normal day. The entire
underground system runs on green electricity, and since 2017 all buses have been running on
renewable fuels, which was actually the target for 2025.

The city of the future could look a lot like a Swedish city.

These goals also reflect Sweden’s aim to show international climate leadership, and to
achieve emission reductions that far exceed the requirements under the EU Effort Sharing
Regulation.

We would like to thank you for giving us the opportunity to bring forward Sweden’s message
to the world: Development cannot be delinked from climate change. Throughout a human
rights base approach is necessary. Respecting our planet and averting climate change means
creating hope for our generation and generations to come.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

1. What is climate change and how does it affect different countries and their people?

Greenhouse gas emissions blanket the Earth and trap the sun’s heat. This leads to global warming
and climate change. According to the United Nations coal, oil, and gas – are by far the largest
contributors, accounting for over 75 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions and nearly 90 per
cent of all carbon dioxide emissions.

The world is now warming faster than at any point in recorded history.

In fact, The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has recorded that

 Global temperatures rose about one degree Celsius from 1901 to 2020.
 Sea level rise has accelerated from 1.7 mm per year throughout most of the twentieth
century to 3.2 mm per year since 1993.
 Glaciers are shrinking, average thickness of 30 well-studied glaciers has decreased
more than 60 feet since 1980.
 The area covered by sea ice in the Arctic at the end of summer has shrunk by about
40% since 1979.
 The amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has risen by 25% since 1958, and by
about 40% since the Industrial Revolution.
 And finally, snow is melting earlier compared to long-term averages.
The increase in greenhouse gases is making some outdoor work almost unbearable due to
heatwaves, which are also causing increasingly fearsome droughts and fires.

Resident indigenous populations of the Arctic are uniquely vulnerable to climate change
because of their close relationship with, and dependence on, the land, sea and natural
resources for their well-being. Direct health threats from climate change include morbidity
and mortality resulting from increasing extreme events (storms, floods, increased heat and
cold) and an increased incidence of injury and mortality associated with unpredictable ice and
storm conditions. Indirect effects include increased mental and social stress related to
changes in environment and loss of traditional lifestyle; potential changes in bacterial and
viral diseases; and decreased access to quality water sources.

2. What actions have been taken by government and organizations toward climate
change? What are the best examples?

In a series of UN reports, thousands of scientists and government reviewers agreed that limiting
global temperature rise to no more than 1.5 degrees Celsius would help us avoid the worst climate
impacts and maintain a livable climate.

In 2017, the highest decision-making assembly in Sweden decided by a large political

majority to introduce a climate policy framework with a climate act for Sweden. This
framework is the most important climate reform in Sweden’s history.
The framework contains ambitious climate goals, a climate act and a climate policy council.
The framework aims to create order and stability in climate policy. It provides business and
society with the long-term conditions to implement the transition needed to address the
challenge of climate change. For the first time, Sweden also has an act under which each
Government has an obligation to pursue a climate policy based on the climate goals adopted.
Each government must provide clear reports on how work to achieve the goals is progressing,
and an independent climate policy council reviews how well the Government’s overall policy
meets the climate.

The framework contains several climate goals for Sweden.

1. By 2045, Sweden is to have zero net emissions of greenhouse gases into the
atmosphere.
2. By 2030, emissions from domestic transport will be reduced by at least 70 per cent
compared with 2010.
3. By 2030, emissions in Sweden in the sectors covered by the EU Effort Sharing
Regulation should be at least 63 per cent lower than in 1990, out of which 8 percent
may achieved through supplementary measures.
4. By 2040, emissions in Sweden in the sectors that will be covered by the EU Effort
Sharing Regulation should be at least 75 per cent lower than in 1990, out of which 2
percent may achieved through supplementary measures.

Sweden, however, is also pioneering in urban innovation. By 2050 two-thirds of the world’s
population will live in cities, according to the UN, and Sweden has one of the fastest rates of
urbanisation in Europe. In Karlshamn in the south, the council now uses electric cargo bikes
for some of its deliveries, rather than lorries. It's a solution with two-fold benefits: it's more
environmentally friendly and safer for school children and people living in the area.

In Stockholm around 850,000 people use public transport on a normal day. The entire
underground system runs on green electricity, and since 2017 all buses have been running on
renewable fuels, which was actually the target for 2025.

The city of the future could look a lot like a Swedish city.

These goals also reflect Sweden’s aim to show international climate leadership, and to
achieve emission reductions that far exceed the requirements under the EU Effort Sharing
Regulation.
These goals also reflect Sweden’s aim to show international climate leadership, and to
achieve emission reductions that far exceed the requirements under the EU Effort Sharing
Regulation.

3. What are the impacts of climate change to human health and how can they be tackled?

 Climate change affects the social and environmental determinants of health – clean
air, safe drinking water, sufficient food and secure shelter.
 Between 2030 and 2050, climate change is expected to cause approximately 250 000
additional deaths per year, from malnutrition, malaria, diarrhoea and heat stress.
 Areas with weak health infrastructure – mostly in developing countries – will be the
least able to cope without assistance to prepare and respond.

Reducing emissions of greenhouse gases through better transport, food and energy-use
choices can result in improved health, particularly through reduced air pollution.

4. How can we preserve natural resources?

We can preserve natural resources by using renewable energy. In Stockholm around 850,000
people use public transport on a normal day. The entire underground system runs on green
electricity, and since 2017 all buses have been running on renewable fuels, which was
actually the target for 2025.

5. How can we use technologies to achieve climate-related goals?

Urban innovation is a must. In Karlshamn in the south of Sweden, the council now uses
electric cargo bikes for some of its deliveries, rather than lorries. In Stockholm around
850,000 people use public transport on a normal day. The entire underground system runs
on green electricity, and since 2017 all buses have been running on renewable fuels,
which was actually the target for 2025.

6. How can nature-based solutions be incorporated into policymaking?

Nature based solutions should be integrated gradually in urban policy and planning, and
solutions should be prioritized according to the specifications of the context together with an
identification of the expected constraints. All stakeholders (citizens, municipalities,
environmental organizations, researchers, and other relevant stakeholders in each case) must
be integrated in the process to better communicate the benefits and to promote acceptance
and awareness. Institutional changes and adaptations should also be carried out towards
integrated, bottom-up and co-governance approaches. In addition, cost-efficiency analysis
should also be included, allowing comparison with previously identified alternatives
(including hybrid solutions), avoided costs and potential benefits to justify investments as
well as financing models.
In 2017, the highest decision-making assembly in Sweden decided by a large political
majority to introduce a climate policy framework with a climate act for Sweden. This
framework is the most important climate reform in Sweden’s history.

The framework contains ambitious climate goals, a climate act and a climate policy council.
The framework aims to create order and stability in climate policy. It provides business and
society with the long-term conditions to implement the transition needed to address the
challenge of climate change. For the first time, Sweden also has an act under which each
Government has an obligation to pursue a climate policy based on the climate goals adopted.
Each government must provide clear reports on how work to achieve the goals is progressing,
and an independent climate policy council reviews how well the Government’s overall policy
meets the climate.

7. The importance of information and public engagement in tackling climate change?

Highlighting the importance of information and public engagement in tackling climate

change is key. All stakeholders (citizens, municipalities, environmental organizations,
researchers, and other relevant stakeholders in each case) must be integrated in the process to
better communicate the benefits and to promote acceptance and awareness.

8. Why international corporations and solidary are important and how we can enhance
them?

In a series of UN reports, thousands of scientists and government reviewers agreed that

limiting global temperature rise to no more than 1.5 degrees Celsius would help us avoid the
worst climate impacts and maintain a livable climate. Yet policies currently in place point to a
2.8 degrees Celsius temperature rise by the end of the century. Thousands of students around
the world are calling for world leaders to change these policies and to implement measures to
protect our planet, to protect our home.

“Humanity has a choice: cooperate or perish. It is either a Climate Solidarity Pact – or a

Collective Suicide Pact,” the UN Secretary-General, Mr. Guterres, told over 100 world
leaders reunited for the first official plenary of the UN Climate Change Conference.

The proposed Pact would see all countries taking extra efforts to reduce emissions, wealthier
nations and international financial institutions providing assistance to emerging economies,
ending dependence on fossil fuels and the building of coals plants, providing sustainable
energy for all, and uniting to combine strategy and capacities for the benefit of humankind.

9. How can we support and protect the most vulnerable groups of our societies against
climate change?

Few activities will remain totally unaffected in a changed climate in Sweden with rising
temperature and changed patterns of precipitation. In particular the risk of flooding,
landslides and erosion is expected to increase in many parts of the country. The risk of
flooding is increasing around some of the largest lakes in Sweden, and parts of central
Stockholm are expected to be affected. The need to be able to regulate water flows with new
water-discharging strategies is under discussion and planning is in progress for increased
water-discharging capacity.

Work on climate adaptation has been intensified in various ways in Sweden since 2005. The
Plan- ning and Building Act was amended in 2008 so that buildings are only allowed to be
erected at suitable locations, and account has to be taken of the risk of accidents, flooding and
erosion in municipal compre- hensive plans and detailed development plans. In the area of
energy, the vulnerability of the energy sector to extreme weather events has been analysed,
and work to replace overhead power lines with buried cables for electricity distribution has
been speeded up following the storms of 2005 and 2007. The risks to the road and rail
networks of landslides, washing- away and flooding have been analysed and remedial action
has been taken where necessary.