Willa Kopp-Devol 31

April 9, 2018
Policy Paper #2

Policy Paper: ​Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan

Climate change is an issue that is affecting people worldwide. With rising sea levels, harmful

weather patterns, agricultural difficulties, drought, and many more serious problems, this needs to be

addressed. In the past, developing countries were the lead cause of climate change, because of their

production and expansion. Humanity is able to survive and thrive on this earth because of the

greenhouse effect. This effect is basically an insulation for the earth. As the sun’s rays pass through our

atmosphere, some are absorbed and then reflected back. In the article Global Climate Change by NASA,

it states: “Most of the outgoing heat is absorbed by greenhouse gas molecules and re-emitted...warming

the surface of the Earth and the lower atmosphere.” The heat that stays in our livable earth creates the

home that we know and allows the surface temperature of our earth to be habitable. As countries

develop, and as humans use more and more resources as we populate the earth, greenhouse gases are

released into the atmosphere. The most notable and talked about gas is CO2 or carbon dioxide. This gas

is released through mining, factories, and other forms of burning fossil fuels. This gas is released into the

air and warms our earth unnaturally. Although carbon dioxide is harming the climate, another

greenhouse gas; methane, is much more harmful. The environmental defense fund states that, “While

methane doesn't linger as long in the atmosphere as carbon dioxide, it is initially far more devastating to

the climate because of how effectively it absorbs heat.” A lot of these emissions are coming from the oil

and gas industries, but another huge releaser is cows. Cows release methane when they release gas, and

because the meat and dairy industries are such an important food in many countries, there is an

enormous amount of greenhouse gases released from the cows. Climate change is a global issue that is

causing many people to live in unlivable situations and places. The United Nations must act immediately
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to slow climate change to eventually reverse the severe effects that it has had on humans and the earth.

This issue can not be overlooked or underestimated.

The country of Jordan is most heavily dependent on other countries for gas/oil, food, and energy

imports. As a result of this, Jordan will not be affected by climate change because of their own

production, but because of the economics and politics surrounding the impacted trades. In the Intended

Nationally Determined Contribution for Jordan, it states, “Jordan imports about 97% of its energy

requirements, which includes mainly crude oil, oil derivatives, and natural gas. [This makes Jordan]

completely reliable on and vulnerable to the global energy market.” A decrease in production of crops

will result in a larger poverty rate, and the growing demand for resources caused by immigration makes

the release of greenhouse gasses larger for Jordan. Although Jordan’s impact on climate change (as far

as carbon dioxide emissions) is low compared to much wealthier countries, growing populations has led

to more emissions. Also stated in the Intended Nationally Determined Contribution, “Jordan nationally

determines to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by a bulk of 14 % until 2030.” The country will do

this by implementing a national railway system to reduce the emissions of vehicles and transports,

recycling waste water and improving water systems, and raising general awareness.

The country of Jordan proposes that, in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions throughout

the world to prevent the further damage of climate change, the UN should implement a tax raise for

non-renewable energy sources, in order to stop the demand for such harmful things. Jordan is

dependent on the economic and political state of the world to control the imports into the country.

Therefore, whatever agreements and conditions Jordan’s imports decide on, greatly affects Jordan and

its neighbors. According to The University of Notre Dame’s country index: “Relative to other countries,

[Jordan’s] current vulnerabilities are manageable but improvements in readiness will help it better adapt
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to future challenges. Jordan is the 50th least vulnerable country.” It won’t be able to provide donations

or extra money/resources to other countries, because Jordan is a developing country. Reducing the

number of greenhouse gases by taxing the companies and products will have a negative effect on the

quality of Jordan’s economy. In order to combat this, Jordan and other developing countries would need

wealthy countries to provide them with or help them obtain long-lasting energy producers that are

located in the country itself. Jordan is responsible for its own portion of emissions, but compared

overall, is a very small producer. Our Earth is a very important thing, and the UN needs to act

immediately to help the world, and to damper the effects of climate change.

Works Cited

“Climate Change Causes: A Blanket around the Earth.” ​NASA​, NASA, 10 Aug. 2017,

climate.nasa.gov/causes/

Jordan. “Intended Nationally Determined Contribution.” ​INDC​,

www4.unfccc.int/ndcregistry/Pages/All.aspx.

MacDiarmid, Stacy. “Methane: The Other Important Greenhouse Gas.” ​Environmental Defense Fund​,

Environmental Defense Fund , ​www.edf.org/methane-other-important-greenhouse-gas​.

University of Notre Dame. “Country Index // Notre Dame Global Adaptation Initiative // University of

Notre Dame.” ​Notre Dame Global Adaptation Initiative​, 2018,

gain.nd.edu/our-work/country-index/