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National High School Model United Nations 2015
HLPF
spend with his children and they no longer have to “breathe in the smoke from the kerosene lamp
that used to hurt their lungs.” 137 He explained that for his family, finally the dark has turned to
light. 138
Despite all the benefits access to modern energy represents, even today in a globalized world, “two
in every five people still rely on wood, charcoal, or animal waste to cook their food, and one in five
people lack electricity.” 139 These figures are unacceptable and unjust, and continue to widen the
inequalities that create poverty and underdevelopment. Lack of energy is thus an obstacle for
sustainable development, which is why ME is indeed crucial.
Sustainable Development and the ME
Modern energy has been on the international agenda for over a decade and its importance has only
increased with time. Despite all the efforts made by the international community, the process has
been very slow and consequences have started to take their toll on the weakest states. 140 Thus, the
international community has progressively realized the multiple effects of ME in sustainable
development.
The negative impacts of limited access to energy on the economy, environment, and society are
wide-ranging, especially when it comes to sustainable development. ME, if effectively addressed by
LDC governments, can be a commanding force of development for those countries. In order to
understand the effects of ME on LDCs’ development, it is important to analyze first the concept of
sustainable development. It is generally agreed that sustainable development is inclusive economic
growth that favors not only society, but the environment as well. 141 Therefore, in order to be
sustainable, development should always focus on all of these aspects. 142
For instance, in the economic field, sustainability entails the appropriate use of available resources
to achieve enduring and positive economic outcomes. That means taking advantage of and
appropriately using the natural, economic, and human resources that LDCs possess in order to
provide energy. Targeting this aspect is crucial since LDCs face unique challenges towards displaying
sustained levels of economic development. Given the fact that LDCs have such low economic
development and thus little economic resources, they rely heavily on external capital flows which
play a key role in their developing economies. To address LDCs’ economic deficit and at the same
time provide ME effectively, there are multiple cooperation and financing mechanisms. One of
those methods is the Official Development Assistance (ODA), developed by the Organization for
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137 Ibid.
138 Ibid.
139 Poor People’s Energy Outlook 2013 - Energy for Community Services.
140 Gwénaëlle Legros et al., The Energy Access Situation In Developing Countries. A Review Focusing on the Least Developed
Countries and Sub-Saharan Africa (New York: UNDP, 2009), accessed 7 July 2014,
http://www.undp.org/content/dam/undp/library/Environment%20and%20Energy/Sustainable%20Energy/energyaccess-situation-in-developing-countries.pdf.
141 Tracey Strange and Anne Bayley, Sustainable Development. Linking Economy, Society, Environment (Paris: Organisation for
Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), 2008), accessed 15 July 2013, http://www.oecdilibrary.org/docserver/download/0108121e.pdf?expires=1373922182&id=id&accname=guest&checksum=9E12E4440
A3314119ECF3D349794C5DD.
142 Ibid.
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