2025 JC1 ASRJC P1A1 P1A2 Essay Outlines

Anderson Serangoon Junior College General Paper Paper 1 Assignment 1 Environment Suggested Essay Outlines Question 1 To what extent are developed nations responsible for tackling environmental problems? Question Analysis with Conceptual Understanding Issue: Developed nations are the ones who have created the most damage to the environment since they started industrializing. They also have the most power, talent and resources to tackle the environmental problems. Should they therefore be responsible for tackling environmental problems? Context: Global Conceptual Understanding: • There should be recognition that extent/degree of responsibility is likely to have changed from what it was in the past and will continue to change over time as developed nations’ contribution to environmental problems changes. • Consideration may be given to different types of developed nations, and how their extent/degree of responsibility differs according to context. • There may be discussion of how extent/degree will also vary according to the ability of developed nations to solve the problem. Key words: • Developed nations: A sovereign state that has a highly developed economy and advanced technological infrastructure relative to other less industrialised nations • Responsible for tackling: If they are to blame, they have the responsibility to solve. If they have the ability/power/resources to deal with the problem, they have the duty to do so. • Environmental problems: Examples include pollution, global warming, natural resource depletion, loss of biodiversity, deforestation Significant aspects/areas to be discussed (5W1H, Multiple Perspectives, Significant Trends, SPECTRAM): • How developed nations have caused environmental problems or have solved environmental problems • Perspectives of less developed nations and global organisations • Changes and trends in the industries and economies of developed nations Possible Stands • Developed nations are largely responsible when it comes to tackling environmental problems. • Developed nations have limited responsibility when it comes to tackling environmental problems. Reasons why developed nations are largely responsible Reasons why developed nations have limited responsibility

Developed nations were the first contributors to environmental degradation due to rapid industrialisation and a rampant disregard for ecological conservation. Thus, they are to blame for the environmental problems that the world now faces and absolutely should take on a huge role in dealing with the problems they have created. • Then UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon acknowledged the historical responsibility of developed nations for environmental degradation, stating that as their factories released carbon emissions into the atmosphere long before the climate effects were known, "It's only fair and reasonable that the developed world should bear most of the responsibility." • Rich countries, including the United States, Canada, Japan and much of western Europe, account for just 12 percent of the global population today but are responsible for 50 percent of all the planet-warming greenhouse gases released from fossil fuels and industry over the past 170 years. In today’s context, developed nations have increasingly slowed down in their direct emissions given efforts to decouple emissions from economic growth. The quest for accelerated development in developing nations and emerging economies, on the other hand, make them more culpable for a growing proportion of blame for environmental issues as compared to the developed nations. • According to The Global Carbon Budget report, 2023 emissions from coal, oil and gas all rose, driven by India and China. The Chinese rise was caused by its economy reopening after COVID-19 lockdowns, while India's was a result of power demand growing faster than the country's renewable energy capacity, leaving fossil fuels to make up the shortfall. • In contrast, emissions in the U.S. and European Union are both falling, driven in part by coal plants being retired. Overall, 26 countries representing 28% of the world's emissions are now in a downward trend. Most are in Europe, the researchers said. • According to the Center for Global Development (CGD), 63% of annual emissions are produced by developing countries. The consumption patterns of wealthy developed nations tend to require more resources and produce more emissions. This places a great stress on the environment and so given the significant role wealthy nations play in advancing climate change, they ought to do much more to resolve the problem. • British charity Oxfam released a study that found the richest 10 percent of people produce half of the planet’s individual-consumption- based fossil fuel emissions, while the poorest 50 percent — about 3.5 billion people — contribute only 10 percent. The vast majority of the world’s richest 10% high emitters still live in rich OECD (Organisation for Economic Co- operation and Development) countries. According to Oxfam’s data, while some “emerging” economies like India and Brazil have high emissions, the lifestyle consumption emissions of even their richest citizens remain some way behind that of their counterparts in rich OECD countries. Contrary to the idea that developed nations have greater ability and resources to implement solutions, their earlier success has also become a stumbling block, limiting their capacity to revamp existing infrastructures and shift towards sustainability practices without severely threatening their economic well-being. Developing nations, on the other hand, possess greater potential in advancing environmentally-friendly programs given that they have less to lose and a lot more to gain. • As Singapore is very dependent on the oil and gas industry (5% of GDP and ranks amongst the top five oil refining centres globally), undoing all the efforts set up at Jurong Island would be an economic disaster for the island. • Meanwhile, China has become a world leader in solar power, passing Germany’s capacity in 2015. The Indian renewable energy sector is the fourth most attractive renewable energy market in the world. India was ranked fourth in wind power and solar power as of 2022.

With their vast wealth and available resources, it is not unreasonable to say that developed nations have the moral obligation and duty to solve environmental problems. • At the 15th Conference of Parties (COP15) of the UNFCCC in Copenhagen in 2009, developed countries committed to a collective goal of mobilising USD 100 billion per year by 2020 for climate action in developing countries. However, Oxfam’s ‘Climate Finance Shadow Report 2023’ shows that developed nations are shirking their responsibility. While donors claim to have mobilized $83.3 billion in 2020, the real value of their spending was —at most— $24.5 billion. The $83.3 billion claim is an overestimate because it includes projects where the climate objective has been overstated or as loans cited at their face value. By providing loans rather than grants, these funds are even potentially harming rather than helping local communities, as they add to the debt burdens of already heavily indebted countries —even more so in this time of rising interest rates. • According to the UNESCO Science Report published in 2021, the high-income countries that account for 64% of the world’s research spending — including Japan, South Korea, the United States and many European countries — showed relatively little change in, or even a decline in, the number of publications on topics related to sustainable development and environmental problems. In contrast, low- and middle- income countries have shifted their priorities and resources towards meeting sustainable development goals (SDGs), showing that developed countri