UNITED STATES: 1b. Pre-Conference - Interactive Simulations

Aug 9, 2017 by aarthivenkatraman

2. Climate Challenge

1. What strategy did you take in Climate Challenge? Was it effective in reducing emissions?
   1. I tried to work towards reducing a little of the emissions in each turn so that it was easier to meet the target I set in international negotiations. This was very effective in reducing emissions, because I met the target I set every time. Sometimes in a turn I would have forget about reducing emissions so that I could keep the resources and population in balance. My key strategy was compensating to keep everything in balance (popularity, emissions, resources, my opinion).
2. What did you think of how the strategy cards represented resources? Do you think some of the strategies/policies would have different impacts than the ones shown in the game?
   1. Overall, the strategy cards helped you get a basic idea of how the policies would affect every component of the game (resources, emissions, etc.). However, the bars on the strategy cards were not proportional to the bars on the resource card. I think the game had mostly accurate results to the policies. However, in a few cards a possible effect was missing.
3. How did you approach international negotiations? Was it better to lead by example, or attempt to encourage other nations by investing in their green economies?
   1. In order to get people to set an emissions target, I both funded and led by example. When I set a target and met it, I noticed the probability that another country would set a target was higher. As I continued to meet mine, more and more countries set targets. However when I funded, I didn’t have as much of an effect, and the chance of people voting no was higher than if I had just set an example.

3. Water Footprint Calculator

1. Were you surprised by how much water you consumed?
   1. I was a little surprised because I expected my water footprint (806m3) to be a little closer to the average human’s (1243m3). I thought this might be because I am vegetarian. However, when I calculated my water footprint as if though I was a high meat consumer, my water footprint was still considerably less (237m3), which surprised me.
2. How did your footprint compare to your country’s and the world's average? (You will need to research this.)
   1. My water footprint was ⅔ of the global average (1243m3). It was ⅓ of the average american’s (2842m3). Like I said earlier, I think part of the reason my water footprint is considerably lower than both the global average and the USA’s average is because I do not eat meat (which takes a lot of water to produce).
3. What parts of your footprint do you feel is possible to reduce? What parts don’t?
   1. In some ways it is possible to reduce on direct water consumption, by using water only when necessary. For example, I could take shorter showers to. In other ways I cannot reduce on direct water consumption. In other ways it is not possible to reduce on direct water consumption. It is not possible for me to reduce on the amount of water I drink and food I eat, because they are essential to keep me healthy .
4. Do some research on a water-based conflict in your country. Which communities have access to water, which ones don’t, and who controls the resource use?
   1. As a result of the Clean Water crisis all over the US, many americans lack access to clean water. In Flint, Michigan, many people have been exposed to lead because their water source is contaminated. Michigan is not the only state with lack of access to clean water. All over California, residents are suffering. In the San Joaquin Valley, water is especially contaminated with things like pesticides, uranium, and bacteria. In general, urban areas have more access to water than rural areas. This is because lots of people are clustered in one place and since so many people are there, there is more demand. For example, everyday a billion gallons of fresh, clean water is delivered to NYC everyday. The water use in the US is controlled by the government. Policies, regulations, and laws can be made by the local government, the state government, and the national government.

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