Hello delegates, and welcome to HALLMUNC. I m Tim Ramirez, your chair for this

Transcription

1 ECOSOC Hello delegates, and welcome to HALLMUNC. I m Tim Ramirez, your chair for this simulation of the Economic and Social Council of the UN. I m a junior at Calvert Hall and I have done Model UN for 2 years now. I ve been a delegate working on resolutions, and I am excited to work with you guys as a chair and to see what you come up with as resolutions for this topic. If you have questions, shoot me or my co-chair an at ramirezt20@chcstudent.com or entwislen21@chcstudent.com. I look forward to meeting all of you and finding solutions to this concerning and relevant topic. Sincerely, Tim Ramirez ECOSOC Background Guide: Goal 14- Life under water Introduction In this ECOSOC committee, we will dive into the topic of underwater life. The world s oceans are the vastest areas on our planet. They contain millions of species both known and undiscovered, they drive global systems, and they are one of if not the main thing that makes Earth livable for all human life. Besides the necessity to preserve the values of wildlife and the massive amounts of life in the oceans, there is human concern with the continuing harm of our environment as well. Over 3 billion people depend on the oceans and their resources to live. 1 Not only is it a nutritional source through animals, but marine fisheries employ well over 200 million people. 1 However these same oceans that we depend on are harmed every day through our pollution, overfishing, and acidification of ocean waters. Our constant practices of fishing have exceeded their limits. 93 percent of marine fisheries worldwide are fished at or beyond sustainable catch levels. 2 This is depleting many fish species and is hurting fisheries as well as

2 the ecosystems of oceans. Since the start of the industrial revolution, the acidity levels in the ocean waters have increased by over 25 percent. 1 Pollution continues to contaminate the water every day, and it seems that this is only going to get worse. This is a very controversial topic not because it is heavily debated, but because it seems that no one has been able to make a large impact on reducing the harmful effects of overfishing, acidification, and overfishing. Many people are calling for change as they see the horrors that we inflict on the oceans. It will be very important that this committee addresses the issues head on using existing projects or ideas as well as new and innovative methods or plans. Pollution The major pollution problem in the world s oceans is truly our own fault. The majority of pollutants going into the ocean come from activities on land. Natural processes and human activities along the coastlines and far inland affect the health of our oceans. 3 Through simple actions such as driving a car or much larger-scale problems such as oil spills, humans pollute the oceans. Marine debris is also a huge factor in pollution. As trash and debris fill the oceans, the many animals there are caught in trash and die. Not only does this hurt the ecosystem, but it also directly affects humans. Metals and contaminants can get into our seafood and make it harmful to eat. 3 Another issue to marine life is algal blooming. When large amounts of algae sink and decompose in the water, the decomposition process consumes oxygen and depletes the supply available to healthy marine life Habitats that would normally be teeming with life become, essentially, biological deserts. 3 Through materials such as pesticides, we create runoff that goes to our oceans and destroys the oxygen levels, causing most of the life to leave. 4 Historically, the UN and most have the world has done almost nothing major to fix these issues. Global trends point to continued deterioration of coastal waters due to pollution and eutrophication. Without

3 concerted efforts, coastal eutrophication is expected to increase in 20 per cent of large marine ecosystems by This will lead to more dead zones and further disruption of ocean ecosystems. Below is a map of eutrophication in the world s oceans. Ocean Acidification For over 200 years, the concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere has increased due to the burning of fossil fuels and land use change. The ocean absorbs about 30 percent of the CO2 that is released in the atmosphere, and as levels of atmospheric CO2 increase, so do the levels in the ocean. 5 This is what is known as ocean acidification. It affects the wildlife in the oceans, and therefore wreaks havoc on the food web. Many economies around the world depend on seafood as their main source of protein. 5 But their food could soon present them with problems due to ocean acidification. More and more seafood is becoming contaminated, and consuming this contaminated fish can lead to severe health issues. 6 Whereas the issue of pollution could be sourced to us directly affecting the water, ocean acidification is a result of our everyday actions away from the oceans.

4 Overfishing Besides contaminating the existing fish populations, our overuse of the valuable resources that our oceans over is also causing issues. Many of these issues are coming through fish subsidies. Governments pay around $20 billion each year in damaging types of fisheries subsidies, primarily to industrial fishers, to offset costs such as fuel, gear, and vessel construction. 2 This is also leading to a massive decline in fish stocks. Furthermore, this has led to a serious decline in many populations. For example, oyster populations in the Chesapeake in the US have declined to just 1 percent of their original population. 7 This is only one of many species that has experienced a steady decline in population to the point where their existence is threatened. Soon, those who depend on fish as a source of protein will be in serious trouble. More than 30 percent of the world's fisheries have been pushed beyond their biological limits and are in need of strict management plans to restore them. 8 If we want to prevent billions from losing their source of food and millions from losing their jobs, overfishing must be targeted and significantly brought down. Below is a map of the areas in the world that are most heavily fished.

5 Questions to consider What actions can be taken to reduce the direct pollution of our oceans? What actions can be taken to reduce overfishing while still maintaining stability in areas that depends on fishing for both resources and jobs? How can we prevent future increases of eutrophication in the oceans? How can we ensure that affected populations are informed and approve the actions we take? How will countries know how to target and decrease the many problems for their waters? How can we institute ways to decrease CO2 emissions on land? How can we gather funding, and how should we target where the funding goes? Country list Afghanistan Algeria Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Australia Bangladesh Belgium Botswana Brazil Burkina Faso Chile China Congo Czech Republic Democratic Republic of the Congo Estonia Finland

6 France Georgia Germany Ghana Greece Guatemala Guyana Honduras India Iraq Ireland Italy Japan Kazakhstan Lebanon Mauritania Nigeria Pakistan Panama Peru Portugal Republic of Korea Republic of Moldova Russian Federation Rwanda Serbia Somalia South Africa Sweden Switzerland Togo Trinidad and Tobago Uganda

7 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland United States of America Viet Nam Zimbabwe Citations 1 Oceans - United Nations Sustainable Development. United Nations, United Nations, 2 Fishing Subsidies Are Speeding the Decline of Ocean Health. The Pew Charitable Trusts, 3 Ocean Pollution. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 4 Williams, Diana K. How Does Water Pollution Affect Fish? Sciencing.com, Sciencing, 10 Jan. 2019, sciencing.com/water-pollution-affect-fish html. 5 US Department of Commerce, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. What Is Ocean Acidification? NOAA's National Ocean Service, 1 Aug. 2012, oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/acidification.html. 6 How Do Ocean Pollutants Make Their Way Into Our Seafood? Scientists Look For Answers with Nuclear Technology. IAEA, IAEA, 8 June 2017, 7 Ocean Acidification. Ocean Conservancy, oceanconservancy.org/oceanacidification/?ea.tracking.id=18hpxwjbxx&gclid=cj0kcqiazknjbrdparisakxft

8 RDdLSaBJjMbtmEkeB9zu9tm1x9cmH2G64pBJMJZ- Rc_UUvTmxU1jQMaAnuwEALw_wcB. 8 Overfishing. WWF, World Wildlife Fund,