Agricultural development and food security

Food security refers to the availability of food and ones access to it. A household is considered food-secure when its occupants do not live in hunger or fear of starvation. The World Health Organization defines three factors that influence food security: food availability, food access, and food use. Food availability means having available sufficient quantities of food on a consistent basis. Food access is having sufficient resources, both economic and physical, to obtain appropriate foods for a nutritious diet. Food use represents the appropriate use based on knowledge of basic nutrition and care, as well as adequate water and sanitation. If done right, agriculture, forestry and fisheries can provide nutritious food for all and generate decent incomes, while supporting people-centred rural development and protecting the environment. Right now, our soils, freshwater, oceans, forests and biodiversity are being rapidly degraded. Climate change is putting even more pressure on the resources we depend on, increasing risks associated with disasters such as droughts and floods. Despite an explosion in the growth of urban slums over the last decade, nearly 75% of the poor people in developing countries live in rural areas. A spike in world food prices in 2008 hurt economies across the world and led to destabilizing riots in over 30 countries. In order to feed a population expected to grow to 9 billion people by 2050, a profound change of the global food and agriculture system is needed. Worldwide, around 925 million people are chronically hungry due to extreme poverty, while up to 2 billion people lack food security intermittently due to varying degrees of poverty. The food and agriculture sector offers key solutions for development, and is central for hunger and poverty eradication.

Keep in mind the following questions:

1. What can the United Nations do in terms of food security? 2. How can the United Nations avoid future food crises? 3. Is it possible to protect the environment while solving the problem of food security? How?

Environmental threats due to nuclear proliferation

Nuclear weapons were invented as a result of scientific laborious work worldwide, in order to develop a means to obtain highly efficient mass destruction bombs. The 1955 United Nations First Geneva Conference was the first conference organized bearing international security in mind, although the most important topic was transforming nuclear weapons in useful energy-producing power plants. However, the landmark regarding this issue is the 1978 Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). The NPT recognizes five nuclear weapon states: France, China, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States. Unfortunately, even if North Korea, India, Iran, Pakistan and Israel are acknowledged to possess mass-destruction weapons, they neither joined, nor unilaterally withdrew. Following from the perpetual study of the nuclear branch, scientists envisioned a safe, clean and efficient way of using nuclear power: energy production. However, the costs of nuclear accidents are high and encompass both material and human losses. According to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) there are more than 439 nuclear power plants operating in 31 countries round the world. In addition, as of 2011 68 civil nuclear power reactors have been under construction in 15 countries (out of which 28 in Peoples Republic of China and 2 in United States of America). Even though nuclear power has established itself as a reliable and cost-efficient way of producing energy, there is an emerging threat affecting the world: the materials (such as plutonium, uranium) used by power plants can easily be used as bombing material too.

Keep in mind the following questions:

1. How can the UN control the use of radioactive materials so as to be used exclusively for peaceful purpose? 2. Should new countries be allowed to start a nuclear program? 3. How can the world handle a future crisis, resembling the Cold War, but the threats coming from terrorist or malevolent actions? 4. How can successful decommissioning of nuclear sites be assured?

Shale gas extraction

Shale gas is natural gas that is found trapped within shale formations. It has become an increasingly important source of natural gas in the United States since the start of this century, and interest has spread to potential gas shales in the rest of the world. In 2000 shale gas provided only 1% of U.S. natural gas production, but by 2010 it was over 20% and the U.S. governments Energy Information Administration predicts that by 2035, 46% of the United States natural gas supply will come from shale gas. Some other analysts expect that shale gas will greatly expand worldwide energy supply. China is estimated to have the worlds largest shale gas reserves. A study by the Baker Institute of Public Policy at Rice University concluded that increased shale gas production in the US and Canada could help prevent Russia and Persian Gulf countries from dictating higher prices for the gas they export to European countries. However, shale gas usage is a much debated subject. The Obama administration stated that increased shale gas development will help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, while some studies alleged that the extraction and use of shale gas can affect the environment through the leaking of extraction chemicals and waste into water supplies, the leaking of greenhouse gases during extraction, and the pollution caused by the improper processing of natural gas.

Keep in mind the following questions:

1. Is the shale gas better than the other sources of energy? Is it worth harming the environment for its extraction? 2. What should be done to prevent further degradation of the environment caused by this issue? 3. What are other authorities or companies involved in this issue? What is their position and influence regarding this topic?