United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

As the world has quickly industrialized in the last two hundred years, there has been an indelible mark left on the environment by the exponential increase in fossil fuel consumption and global land use change. In response, countries and developers invest in technologies to combat the negative effects of climate change and anthropogenic global warming. That being said, regulation of these technologies has not kept up with their creation and implementation. Two salient examples of technologies that have a great chance to improve the world and mitigate the effects of climate change, while still holding challenges of their own are nuclear energy and artificial intelligence (AI). Nuclear energy, despite having existed for almost 100 years, still holds a slew of ethical and political questions, such as differentiating between weapons and energy programs, international treaties, the ethics of mining and processing uranium, and the disposal of nuclear waste. AI, on the other hand, is an entirely new beast with little to no regulation and a similar host of cultural and environmental questions, such as AI art and the impact of data centers on water resources. 

The United Nations Environmental Programme was founded in 1972 with the express purpose to monitor the environment and respond to environmental challenges. In 2026, UNEP will convene with delegates from around the world to discuss how to regulate these technologies and guide their ethical implementation. There are a number of nuances and specific questions that must be answered by this committee. How do we balance development with protecting the environment? How do we prioritize communities that have been historically underserved, whether on the scale of neighborhoods or entire nations? How do we protect nature and humans, and hopefully integrate the two?

Romila Detering

Chair

Romy is a sophomore majoring in International Studies and minoring in Economics and German. Back home in Queens (NYC’s best borough) you can find her rating the best ramen restaurants on Beli and speedwalking through art museums. She has her family to thank for her love for MUN—not only does she frequently travel with them (to 32 countries so far), but she lovingly (and constantly) argues with them. Outside of MUN, she works on independent research on German refugee policy and leads hiking trips for undergrads! But more often than not, she’ll be distracted by the Drake song she’s listening to or the New Girl episode in the background of her study session. Romy is excited to combine her passions for the outdoors and politics in the UNEP committee. Feel free to reach out to her with any questions at rdeteri1@jh.edu!  

Janice Lin is a sophomore at Johns Hopkins University, double majoring in International Studies and Economics, with a minor in Accounting and Financial Management. She lived in Palo Alto, California for a decade before moving across the country to a New York suburb, where she saw snow fall for the first time. Before joining HOPMUNC and the Hopkins travel team, she was the captain of parliamentary debate and head delegate of the Model UN team of her high school. In her free time, Janice can be found tutoring local Baltimore high schoolers, cheering on the Mets, or doomscrolling online. She looks forward to meeting everyone and hearing your solutions for the United Nations Environmental Programme!