The pressing issue of renewable energies, and the myriad proposals trying to address it

Written by Vicent Llorca Mascarell, Journalist, LIMUN 2026

The United Nations Environment Programme is debating a really demanding and pressing issue. The title ‘Facilitating a Just and Sustainable Transition from Fossil Fuels to Renewable Energy Sources’ underscores the importance of transitioning from fossil fuels and considers it a cornerstone in tackling global warming.

Conflicts of Interest

As we all know, many interests are set on this overarching issue. Firstly, we can see the urgency with which some countries refer to the issue. Especially nations such as island nations, who are in danger of literal extinction were the waters to rise. Also, some developing countries demanded justice, claiming they are the least pollutant countries, and yet, the ones who will be impacted the most.

Secondly, we find countries that are either extracting fossil fuels or highly reliant on those energies for their economic activity. Such countries believe in a more orderly transition, both because of the blow it would inflict on their economies but also for the amount of jobs that would be lost. We are talking about state failure just for budget issues.

What do the delegates say?

Countries like Argentina align more with the second bloc. They say that shutting down fossil fuel industries would destroy jobs, ‘we need to catch up’. Also the UK bets for a gradual change, and the UAE and the US back this stance. 

The UAE also proposes ‘educational programs’ for achieving skilled labour and potentiating innovation. Bangladesh aligns with this idea, for they want to ensure the ‘upskilling of workers’. Together with this idea they present biofuels as an alternative.

France, on the other hand, puts the focus not so much on ‘scaling renewable energies’ but also on building the infrastructure that supports the kind of production which renewables require.

Many other nations voiced their own concerns: the ‘Safe Framework’ advanced by Nigeria, Mexico making reference to the disproportionately high consumption rates of western countries, or Chile advocating for the rights of indigenous peoples.

The discussion is a melting pot of ideas, voices and proposals.