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Concordia International School Shanghai Model United Nations ◆ Seventh Annual Session Forum: Arctic Council Issue: Determining and protecting the rights of indigenous people in the Arctic in the face of increasing economic activity and the threat of climate change Student Officer: Min Ju Sohn Position: Deputy Chair of Arctic Council Introduction The Arctic region is warmer than it used to be and it continues to get warmer. Over the past 30 years, it has warmed more than any other region on earth. It is absolutely critical for member states and Arctic nations to stand with the indigenous peoples of the Arctic region in order to ensure that external economic forces do not adversely affect the people Definition of Key Terms Oil Spill The release of a liquid petroleum hydrocarbon into the environment, especially marine areas, due to human activity Permafrost A thick subsurface layer of soil that remains below freezing point throughout the year, occurring chiefly in Polar Regions History Arctic Indigenous Peoples Indigenous peoples, also known generally as circumpolar peoples, have inhabited the Arctic for thousands of years. They are 10 percent of the total population and there are over 40 different ethnic groups living in the Arctic. Research Report ◆ Page 1 of 6 Concordia International School Shanghai Model United Nations ◆ Seventh Annual Session Caption #1: Inuit people fishing Natural Resources Exploitation: Oil and Gas The Arctic is estimated to hold the worlds largest remaining untapped gas reserves and undeveloped oil reserves. A significant proportion of these reserves lie offshore, in the Arctic’s shallow and biologically productive shelf seas. Oil spills, whether from blowouts, pipeline leaks or shipping accidents, pose a tremendous risk to arctic ecosystem. Russian Oil Disasters Russia has been ineffective in preventing and recovering from oil spill crisis. According to Greenpeace, 5 million tons of crude oil are spilled in Russian oil field each year, leaving detrimental consequences to Indigenous groups in Siberia. Their traditional lifestyles—hunting, deer farming and gathering—are disrupted, making such activities no longer viable livelihoods. Caption #2: Oil on ice in Siberia, Russia Research Report ◆ Page 2 of 6 Concordia International School Shanghai Model United Nations ◆ Seventh Annual Session Key Issues Economic Activities Oil and Gas Industries Extensive oil and gas reserves have been discovered in the Arctic region. Climate impacts on oil and gas development in the region are likely to result in both financial benefits from less extensive and thinner sea ice. Although the equipment are designed to reduce the damage to the environment, the thawing of permafrost is very likely to adversely affect these structures and increase the cost of maintaining them. Increased marine transport Reduced sea ice is enabling the opening of new shipping routes around the margins of the Arctic Basin and a longer period during which shipping is feasible, allowing increased access to natural resources and facilitating transportation of them. Caption #3: Damage caused by storm due to the increased sea level in costal community of Arctic region Environmental Impacts Slow reaction toward oil spills Research Report ◆ Page 3 of 6 Concordia International School Shanghai Model United Nations ◆ Seventh Annual Session The Arctic is characterized by a short productive season, low temperature, and limited sunlight, which makes it particularly harder for Arctic regions to recover from habitat disruption, tundra disturbance and oil, spills. Worse, there is no proven effective method for containing and cleaning up an oil spills in icy water Acidic Oceans Due to increase carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, the world’s oceans are 30% more acidic than before the industrial revolution. Cold oceans, like those in the Arctic, are acidifying twice as fast as average, which results in the interference of the development of marine life and decrease in biodiversity. Major Parties Involved and Their Views The Arctic Council A high-level intergovernmental forum that addresses issues faced by the governments with territories inside the Arctic Circle Russia Because of the region’s mineral wealth, the Arctic has been a center of disputes. Russia has been claiming the Arctic and Denmark has staked a claim to the North Pole. In addition, Russian oil and gas industry has shown their inability to recover mistakes—oil spills—that shatters the fragile Arctic environment. Related Organizations World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) WWF is an international non-governmental organization that works on the field of the biodiversity conservation and the reduction of humanity’s footprint on the environment. WWF has identified three areas that should be protected from oil exploitation including the Lofoten and Vesteraalen islands of Coastal Norway, West Kamchatka and Bristol Bay in Alaska (December 2014, Bristol Bay is protected by WWF and Fish Basket Coalition). Research Report ◆ Page 4 of 6 Concordia International School Shanghai Model United Nations ◆ Seventh Annual Session Caption #4: World Wide Fund for Nature Logo Arctic Climate Impact Assessment (ACIA) The Arctic Climate Impact Assessment (ACIA) provides accurate and comprehensively information of climate changes in the Arctic and its consequences, raising the awareness and the seriousness of the rising temperature, loss of sea ice and unpredicted impacts on ecosystems. Timeline of Relevant Resolutions, Treaties and Events You must include short sentences to explain the timeline. Otherwise you have to follow the format specified below: Date Description of event Arctic Council was established as a forum for promoting cooperation, 1996 coordination, and interaction among the Arctic States 22 May 2001 13 September 2007 The Stockholm Convention completed to outlaw and limit the use of persistent organic pollutant (POPs) The Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People adopted by the GA Arctic Coast Guard Forum (ACGF) was signed by all eight Arctic nations to January 15, 2016 foster safe, secure, and environmentally responsible maritime acidity in the Arctic. Evaluation of Previous Attempts to Resolve the Issue The Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples was adopted by the General Assembly on 13 September 2007. The Declaration emphasized the right of indigenous peoples to maintain and strengthen their own institutions, cultures and tradition to pursue development in accordance with their aspiration and needs; however, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the U.S. voted against and the declaration seems ineffective in fighting against the problems—discrimination, racism, marginalize—that the indigenous people are facing. Possible Solutions Research Report ◆ Page 5 of 6 Concordia International School Shanghai Model United Nations ◆ Seventh Annual Session 1. Preventative Measures: It is hard to completely clean up major oil spills in the Arctic. Therefore, the governments and industry should support researches that allow the invention and the development of risk-lowering technologies, and adopt higher standards for spill prevention. 2. Transition to renewable energy: To avoid severe climate impacts, it is urgent that we move towards a perfectly renewable future. Member states should cooperate with each other to develop a better source of energy. 3. Protect valuable places for indigenous people: It would be crucial to protect and follow the example of the protection of Bristol Bay in Alaska. Setting the off-limit portion and protecting the ecosystem of that area would slow down the rapid disruption of Arctic region and furthermore protect the lifestyle of the indigenous people. Bibliography "Arctic Climate Change." Scientific Facts on. GreenFacts. Web. 12 Nov. 2015. http://www.greenfacts.org/en/arctic-climate-change/index.htm#6 "Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples." Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Web. 12 Nov. 2015. http://undesadspd.org/IndigenousPeoples/DeclarationontheRightsofIndigenousPeoples.aspx Ex, Mar. "Arctic Coast Guard Forum Ready for Action." The Maritime Executive. 30 Oct. 2015. Web. 12 Nov. 2015. http://www.maritime-executive.com/article/arctic-coast-guard-forum-ready-for-action "National Snow and Ice Data Center." Climate Change in the Arctic. National Snow and Ice Data Center. Web. 12 Nov. 2015. https://nsidc.org/cryosphere/arctic-meteorology/climate_change.html "Oil and Gas in the Arctic." WWF. World Wildlife Fund. Web. 12 Nov. 2015. http://wwf.panda.org/what_we_do/where_we_work/arctic/what_we_do/oil_gas/ Scudellari, Megan. "An Unrecognizable Arctic." Climate Change: Vital Signs of the Planet. Web. 12 Nov. 2015. http://climate.nasa.gov/news/958/ Shah, Anup. "Rights of Indigenous People." - Global Issues. 16 Oct. 2010. Web. 12 Nov. 2015. http://www.globalissues.org/article/693/rights-of-indigenouspeople#Opposingcountriesrethinkingtheirstance "United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues." United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. Web. 12 Nov. 2015. http://undesadspd.org/IndigenousPeoples.aspx Research Report ◆ Page 6 of 6