Environmental+Integrity+Group

Environmental Integrity Group
The Environmental Integrity Group is a resently formed group in 2000 that includes Mexico, the Republic of Korea (South Korea), and Switzerland. These countries are grouped together because of the Kyoto Protocol. Mexico, Switzerland, and South Korea felt that they did not fit into any group that came out of the protocol at COP 4 in 1998. These three countries do not share much economically or nationally, other than that they do not belong in an already formed group. Generally Switzerland leads and coordinates this group. Mexico : Currently Mexico is working on a low carbon development model to reduce their CO2 emissions. Mexico has designed the Special Climate Change Program, which is the countries agenda to deal with climate change and adaptation. Companies in Mexico are willingly inventorying their greenhouse gas emissions. At COP13 Mexico ranked fourth on the Climate Change Performance Index (whereas the US ranked 55 out of 56.) Mexico is currently increasing renewable energy sources, energy efficiency , as well as planting forests. This “will reduce the country's greenhouse-gas emissions by 110 million tons by the year 2020.” Mexico is very interested in solving the climate change issue and is working very hard to reach very reasonable goals; they are more than just talk, but a lot of action too. Mexico is helping to lead the Americas and Least Developed Countries. Switzerland: Switzerland did sign the Kyoto Protocol. One of Switzerland’s main concerns with climate change is that landslides and floods will affect their population that lives in the mountains. They are also concern that their tourism will decrease for winter sports, which is a very important economic industry in Switzerland. Another major issue that they are concerned with is that 26% of Swiss farmland will be affect due to climate change because of drought. In a past 2003 drought Switzerland was the European country most affected and experienced three months of drought. This could potentially happen every summer due to increased temperature. Switzerland does not feel economically fit to provide irrigation to the entire affected area. Currently Switzerland is one of the world’s top recyclers. South Korea: Originally, South Korea’s resource, coal, led it to be a country with an infinite energy supply. Because of this production and consumption, they have added greatly to pollution and CO2 in the atmosphere. South Korea has new energy policies that change their energy structures by promoting energy conservation improves energy efficiency, and develops new and renewable energy. Currently “ South Korea, followed by China, leads the world's 20 largest economies in the percentage of economic stimulus money invested in environmental projects, the UN Environment Program reported on Thursday,” (en.COP15.dk)