Download 2017_EC1_1_1

FORUM: Environment Commission 1
QUESTION OF: Combating the decline of the Arctic ice shelf
MAIN SUBMITTER: People’s Republic of China
MAIN CO - SUBMITTER: Russian Federation
CO - SUBMITTERS: Saudi Arabia, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Mauritania
THE ENVIRONMENT COMMISSION ONE,
Deeply concerned with the fact that in 1988, ice that survived for four years took up 26% of sea
ice territory but in 2013, only 7% of the ice lasted after 4 years, and the Arctic has increased at
twice the rate of the rest of the globe, and will increase by another 8°C (14°F) by the end of this
century,
Recognizes the satellite data showing that since the late 1970s, September Arctic sea ice extent
has decreased by about 12% per decade and this poses a threat to regions of low-elevation, such
as Tuvalu (a small island in the Pacific Ocean),
Believing that climate change, which is caused by greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, increases
the temperature in the Arctic and results in sea ice decline and therefore needing to solve climate
change in order to prevent the decline,
Applauding the efforts of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) fifth
assessment report which states that sea ice continues to decrease in extent and that there is a clear
downward trend. This report helped guide negotiations for reducing carbon emission in the 2015
United Nations Climate Change Conference,
Noting with regret that on September of 2005, Arctic ice was in its lowest after 50 years of
observation and after the sea ice reaches its minimum, it is able to naturally recover, however, as
sea water temperatures have been abnormally high, the sea ice has not been able to regrow,
Aware that black and brown carbon soot from diesel engines, coal-fired power plants and
burning wood is a powerful contributor to global warming than previously thought, and is the
most significant cause of the rapid melting of the Arctic sea ice,
1. Recommends for all member states in the Arctic regions to monitor their wildlife and
ecosystems to prevent further erosion and destruction of these counties ecosystems in
ways such as but not limited to:
a. monitoring weather patterns, due to the increase amount of sea storms from global
warming, countries such as Greenland, Russian Federation and Canada who are
closely affected by the arctic ice shelf melting, can be prepared to closely monitor
the ecosystems in the surrounding areas,
b. preparing ecosystems for this drastic change to prevent extinction of wildlife,
c. acknowledging countries in the arctic eight (Unites States of America, Denmark,
Russian Federation, Canada, Finland, Norway, Iceland, Sweden)
d. requesting countries monitor seawater temperatures for watching warm current
flows towards the ice shelves therefore hoping to reduce the risk of further ice
shelf breaks;
2. Encourages all member states to help with the reduction of CO2 emissions and
greenhouse gasses to help reduce the natural ice shelf reduction component, global
warming, in ways such as but not limited to:
a. encouraging all member states to take part in the Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA)’s Clean Power Plant Act, which has finalized new rules and
standards that hopes to reduce carbon emissions from power plants,
b. recommends member states to place laws and regulations on all factory methods that
emit excessive carbon amounts, in hopes of not only reducing emissions and creating a
healthier environment, but lessening the rapidity of global warming,
c. noting Bhutan’s carbon negative achievement and seeking out ways to
promote such methods;
3. Calls upon member states and related organizations to, with the help of experts such as university
professors, collaborate with each other to research and share knowledge and technology on the
issues of climate change and declining Arctic ice shelves to discover other possible solutions in
the future, with the funding from the World Bank, monitored by Transparency International, and
specifically the following areas:
a. collecting and organizing concluding statistics and data under the International Panel on
Climate Change (IPCC) on the topics such as but not limited to:
i. the rate of the decreasing Arctic ice shelves
ii. the number of species affected by the decreasing ice shelves or other climate
change causing destruction,
iii. the most effective and sustainable ways to protect coastal settlements from
climate change,
b. providing new science centers within the countries in Arctic regions in order to
develop stronger research to seek out new possibilities for decreasing the
decline in the ice shelves in ways such as but not limited to: using these
facilities to create ocean temperature monitoring devices
which could help notify countries in the Arctic regions when seawater
temperatures are becoming too high, therefore preventing erosion of the
bottom level of the ice shelves,
c. using donations from this NGOs to improve and further develop any existing
science research facilities to expand their arctic protection programs, and
encourage further research in ice shelf erosion prevention;
d. researching other, undiscovered sources of eco-friendly energy that can replace fossil
fuels or improving the already discovered energy sources such as solar energy, wind
energy, hydro-energy, geothermal energy in ways such as increasing cost-efficiency,
decreasing space occupied by mechanism, increasing energy produced per unit;
e. recommending NGOs and charitable organizations to provide money to scientific
research institutions in LEDCs, which would enhance the rate of development
4. Strongly Suggests for all Arctic region countries to collaborate in development plans,
programs, and organizations to further help the protection of the arctic ice shelves in
ways such as but not limited to:
a. requests for the Arctic Council which directly includes the eight countries in
the arctic circle, to focus more on environmental sustainability rather than
political and government views,
b. using environmental representatives from each country (specifically countries
in the arctic eight) to hold monthly or bimonthly meetings in which discusses
the stance on the ice shelves and the progress of prevention they have made, or
further ways to reduce erosion if the situation has worsened,
5.
Asks all local and federal governments, related non-governmental organizations (NGOs) such as
Climate Action Network (CAN), and related United Nations Organizations (UNOs) such as the
United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) to raise awareness of declining Arctic ice shelves
and to establish a positive consensus that aims to protect the community (mainly citizens) located
near the Arctic region, through means such as, but not limited to:
a. fostering nation-wide discourse on the matter of climate change, spreading scientific
knowledge to the general public through raising awareness with the internet, conferences,
lectures, billboards, etc.,
b. using digitalized media (ex. Internet, television commercials, radio) in ways such as, but
not limited to:
i. creating telecast regarding climate change and ice shelf decline so that the public
can be informed on potential future dangers,
ii. initiating websites that provide an adequate amount of dependable data about the
dangers artic sea ice face and potential solutions, using mobile apps such as
Oroceo to monitor and reduce the daily carbon footprint,
iii. making social medial accounts such as Facebook pages which frequently update
the public on recent discoveries such as the declining rate of Arctic sea ice which
leads to the increasing rate of Arctic sea,
iv. involving well – known celebrities in campaigns and advertisements, as they are
more credible to influence the audience,
c. using non-digitalized media in ways such as but not limited to:
i. supplying posters and flyers that inform the public about the issue of climate
change and global warming all over the world in places such as zoos, public
bathrooms, airports, train stations, and libraries,
ii. collaborating with model NGOs such as the EPA to ensure that the illiterate can
also obtain education on climate change through visuals such as images,
iii. holding campaign speeches all around the globe which publicize this matter and
urge the public to donate money to this worthy cause;
6. Encourages member states, especially those that emit a considerable amount of carbon dioxide, to
take initiative and decrease carbon emissions to halt the Arctic ice shelf decline caused by carbon
dioxide in the atmosphere with the collaboration with the United Nations Framework Convention
on Climate Change (UNFCCC) through ways such as, but not limited to:
a. encouraging private sectors by providing incentives such as decreasing tax rates,
subsidies, and certifying their products or implementing carbon tax to produce
environmentally friendly products and reduce carbon emissions through ways such as,
but not limited to:
i. repowering power plants and factories,
ii. using cleaner sources of energy such as solar, wind or hydro energy,
b. educating the next generation by adding the following content into the public school
curriculum such as but not limited to:
i. causes and effects of climate change,
ii. solutions students can apply in their daily lives,
iii. activity of planting trees,
c. implementing driving restrictions policies that are suited for the transportation situations
in countries to decrease carbon emission from transportations such as but not limited to:
i. even-odd license plate policy,
ii. yellow label car policy
iii. end-number policy,
d. using different sustainable and eco-friendly energies that will be cost-efficient for the
particular country such as but not limited to hydroelectricity, solar energy, wind energy,
geothermal energy, increasing greenery through ways such as but not limited to:
i. opening more parks,
ii. growing trees on the sidewalks;
7. Calls for greater cooperation between nation states located near the Arctic sea or with low
elevation to take the following actions because it directly connects to the future of their nations:
a. building and ensuring a high standard of the following infrastructures:
i. constructing anti-flooding infrastructure,
ii. the installation of revetments
iii. improving drainage systems,
b. asking that more economically developed countries (MEDCs) with the help of UNOs and
NGOs seriously consider offering humanitarian aid to assist nations that are not able to
afford the infrastructure necessary to combat the affects of climate change on their costal
settlements:
i. assisting in the funding of infrastructure,
ii. as an incentive such as trade benefits in the fishing industry to protect the at-risk
regions, asks that at-risk regions be considered for areas to be put up for private
investment.
8. Strongly Recommends that the United Nations (UN) and member states conduct research on the
decline of Artic ice shelf, and create a coalition of scientific agencies of possible and willing
nations to ensure more effective sharing of relevant information and policies, through ways
including, but not limited to: suggesting colleges and scientific organizations to provide more
awards such as credits and scholarship to students to galvanize the students to study and
investigate the Artic environment and suggests plausible and feasible ideas of combatting the
decline of Artic shelf.