SIMULATION AND ROLE PLAYING Overview Although this course will be patterned after the Conference of the Parties (COP) meetings, it is not intended to closely follow the formal procedures of these meetings. This course entails learning about the Earth and its environment and how to manage it so that it is kept in the best possible shape for future generations. It is not a political science course. On the other hand, it is important for the success of the class that students play their assigned roles to their best capabilities and as close as they can imagine how a person in their position would act. Government Representatives Students playing representatives of countries are expected to learn about the particular type of portfolios they have been assigned and also about the main issues related to their responsibilities. For instance, a minister of energy, industry and environment should have a minimum knowledge about these three topics in his/her country or group of countries. He/she should, for instance, know what the main natural resources of his/her country are (see below for more details) even though the focus of the course is environmental issues and, more particularly, greenhouse gases emissions and impacts. Roles o Prime Minister o Energy, Environment and Industry Minister o Economy and Social Affairs Minister Prime Minister He/she is responsible for speaking in the name of the country at the summit. This responsibility can be delegated to another Minister. Other ministers will participate in the more technical discussions and debates. He/she must be sufficiently knowledgeable about the state of the country in general with regard to historical, geographical, political and general national issues to analyze environmental issues and their impact on the country. Energy, Environment and Industry Minister He/she is responsible for representing his/her country in discussions on the issues of energy, environment and industry. He/she must be sufficiently knowledgeable about the state of the country with regards to energy, environment and industry to be able to discuss related issues in a quantitative manner at the summit. He/she must also be able to analyze the impact (in relation to these three areas of expertise) different scenarios might have on the country. He/she must also be able to discuss what measures their country would be willing to take in compliance with a protocol like Kyoto in the context of their country's means, to limit their impact on the environment, particularly through greenhouse gases emissions. Economy and Social Affairs Minister He/she is responsible for representing his/her country in discussions on the issues of economy, and social affairs. He/she must be sufficiently knowledgeable about the state of the country with regards to economy and social affairs to be able to discuss related issues in a quantitative manner at the summit. He/she must also be able to analyze the impact (in relation to these three areas of expertise) different scenarios might have on the country. He/she must also be able to discuss plans and measures with regard to population control (if relevant) and the impact of a protocol like Kyoto on their country's present and future economy. What would the costs of a compliance with Kyoto or its alternative be for their country? Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) Representatives Non-Government Organization (NGO) representatives are responsible for representing the interests of the world at large. They are composed of people who have organized themselves in order to be proactive on the topic. In some ways they are the most involved in and critical of the process. They must be able to make unscheduled short presentations to the group as special events in order to highlight special issues they feel need to be addressed or are not appropriately addressed in the present schedule. They have to write a number of white papers defending their points of view on particular topics (see group writing assignments). It will be up to the students in the group to decide in consultaion with the instructor what the focus and title of their NGO will be. Media Representatives He/she is responsible for producing papers that provide background information, make announcements directed at the public in general, and analyze the on-going process. Media representatives should remain relatively "independent" in that they do not label themselves as pro or con. In their papers, when appropriate, they can choose to highlight one country or choose a particular issue to focus on. The media representatives should interview government and NGO representatives to gather data to be used in their papers. A media kit will be prepared by the media representatives and distributed to participants and the audience the evening before the summit.