Red Cedar Model United Nations

Transcription

1 Red Cedar Model United Nations Session VII March 24, 2018 United Nations Environmental Programme Background Guide Chair: Hugh McDonald Assistant Chairs: Maysa Sitar

2 Letter to the Delegates Red Cedar United Nations Session VII Delegates, Welcome to the United Nations Environment Programme of 2018 at RCMUN. Our committee comes at a time of both large issues facing our world in terms of the environment, but we have optimism in big solutions and new ideas. New global agreements have emerged and meeting to discuss these tough issues is the first step. These issues facing us are going to require some hard work and dedication, but I am confident in everyone s ability to come up with solutions that work for all. Hugh McDonald-Chair I am a sophomore studying International Relations in James Madison College at MSU. My first time ever attending a model UN conference was in my sophomore year of high school and have been doing it since then. Other conferences I have done include University of Chicago, University of Michigan, and GLIMUN. Last year was my first time doing MSUMUN as a co-chair and I really enjoyed hearing all these new ideas by young people interested in our future. I m a big lover of sports especially the New England Patriots and love attending the MSU football games. Maysa Sitar- co-chair Hi! My name is Maysa Sitar and I m a freshman here at MSU double majoring in Political Science and Journalism. I m from Newberry, Michigan (the UP!) and because my school didn t have model UN I d never done it. I had always wanted to, though, so when I got here I joined MSUMUN! In my free time I read, write, run, hike, and occasionally climb trees. I m also in College Democrats, MSU IRO, Acro-yoga, and am an ASMSU representative for the College of Communication Arts and Sciences. If you have any questions about this committee or MSUMUN as a whole, please don t hesitate to ask. UNEP ga4@msumun.org RCMUN VII 2

3 The Impact of Climate Change on Refugees Introduction When the topic of climate change comes people often start discussing the science such as the greenhouse effect and carbon dioxide. In this committee we will not be discussing the science behind climate change or what we can do to stop it; rather we will be discussing one issue that is just starting to affect the planet. This problem will likely grow exponentially with rising temperatures. On October 31, 2017 the United Nations recorded a carbon dioxide rate not seen in 800,000 years with experts estimating that global temperatures could rise 3 degrees Celsius and sea levels could rise up 65 feet. We will be focusing on how climate change affects people and how refugees of climate change should be settled in the future.his problem is already occurring in some parts of the world For example, the town of Shishmaref in Alaska is being forced to relocate due to rising sea levels that threaten their homes and village. The reason events like this are important is that weather-related disasters caused 41 people every minute to be displaced between 2008 and 2016 (Environmental Justice Foundation). Much of the issue surrounding climate change refugees, arise from no straightforward definition in the way we define the terms of climate change and refugee. As reference, the agreed upon definitions are as follows. Refugees are people that flee to a foreign country to escape persecution, natural disasters, and/or other dangers, although not technically climate change as defined by the 1951 convention on refugees. Climate change is changes in weather patterns of the Earth. Often confused for climate change, Global Warming an increase in the Earth s atmospheric and oceanic temperatures, predicted to do so due to an increase in the greenhouse effect. Climate change doesn t necessarily have to warm the earth, though it often does. Merriam-Webster.com. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 28 Nov What Is a Refugee? What Is a Refugee USA for UNHCR, is-arefugee/. Change Refugees is a term that can be misleading; often people are displaced within their own country (internally) by climate change. This is used as a term to discuss people displaced by climate change, both within and outside of their home country. There are two major themes to keep in mind. First, Climate change and the refugees that come from it are an exponentially emerging problem to almost every country in the world today. Finding ways in which to accommodate more people in a smaller area is an issue at the forefront of the minds of many world leaders. Subsequently, whose responsibility will it be to house these refugees? Because the original locations of climate change refugees are often gone because they are underwater, uninhabitable, or unable to produce food, there may not be a long-term path to reinstate them. Where will these people go, and who will take the initiative to house them permanently? History The climate of earth has been shifting for hundreds of millions of years due to natural occurrences. The climate has changed due wind patterns, meteors, changes in the earth tilt and orbit every 10 thousand to hundreds of thousands of years, volcanic eruptions, and sun spots. The reason 97% scientists today believe climate change is due to a change in human activity is RCMUN VII 3

4 the accelerated rate of change that has unnaturally high and the amount of carbon that has been put up into the air the last 200 years. As climate change related issues has changed, particularly in the last 20 or so years, the way in which it is perceived by the public and government has changed as well. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) s current position hones in on the specific details of the ways in which climate change can displace a great volume of people. As a recent report published through The World Bank discusses, physical vulnerability to climate change constitutes only one factor in a person s overall vulnerability to environmental hazards and the poorest citizens of this world will be most affected. Economic, political, and social vulnerabilities, on the individual, community, and national levels, comprise the overall risk to climate related changes. (Raleigh, et al.) Consider this: an individual s health is very likely to be affected by climate change. Because climate change will affect individuals, it becomes a community issue, which then puts pressure on societal programs, such as health care. This impacts the national level as well, which in turn changes our dealings with other countries, which simply becomes a downward spiral. On a related note, the US military now labels climate change as a threat multiplier, recognizing the fact that many issues climate change refugees being one of them. This demonstrates the criticality of climate change, as well as the fact that climate change and the consequential refugees may actually alter the state of our security, and our safety in a national security sense. Generally, the wealth of a nation correlates with disaster displacement and the ability to respond respectively of the countries populations. (UNHCR). For further examples of policy changes and the disparity of climate change response between the rich and poor, please read: refugee-policy.html. For a basic understanding of the increase in climate change in the recent past, please look. One good indication to that shows the planet is changing is the amount of carbon in the air. The current about of carbon on the air is average globally at parts per million(ppm). For comparison only ten years ago the earth PPM and in The more carbon in the air the greater the greenhouse effect which is why it correlates with temperature rises in the second graph. The graph on global temperature changes clearly there has been a constant rise in global temperatures and the slope has gotten steeper since the 1950 s. Rising temperatures are creating warmer waters which makes storms and extreme weather a lot more potent which might be why between 2007 and 2016 there was an average of 3000 weather disasters a year which is a 46% increase from the 1990s (Guarino, et. al). The effects of these storms are real because since 1995 these storms have killed 500,000 with many people permanently displaced and billions of dollars in damage. RCMUN VII 4

5 Current Issues The extent to which climate change displaces people is often overlooked. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)recently reported that, By 2050, a majority of U.S. coastal areas are likely to be threatened by 30 or more days of flooding each year due to dramatically accelerating impacts from sea level rise ( NOAA Establishes Tipping Points for Sea Level Rise Related Flooding ). Additionally according to the UNHCR an annual average of 21.5 million people have been forcibly displaced by weatherrelated sudden onset hazards such as floods, storms, wildfires, extreme temperature each year since With temperatures expected to keep rising and more humans on the planet than ever, it is inevitable that the number of people that are affected will continue to rise. It is important to remember that a committee, coming up with a plan to deal with these natural disasters in advance will reduce the loss of life and monetary damage. Heat waves, diseases like malaria and yellow fever transported by a rise in mosquito populations, weather-related disasters, rising sea levels, and desertification are just a few of the ways in which people can be, sometimes permanently, forced to flee. Some of these issues are evolutionary, taking hold over an extended period of time and with time to be fixed. For instance, rising sea levels-- unlike a hurricane-- don t inflict damage in the span of a night. Instead, they gradually create an issue that will still has the consequence of displacing people. because we can observe rising sea levels-- knowing that it may be months or even years before there is immediate danger-- we can take that time to find solutions for the inhabitants. Longer term, permanent solutions can be created, and instead of the immediacy of a refugee crisis, we instead are left with a slower migration of sorts. On the other hand, heat waves and cyclones can strike in an instant with a massive shock wave of damage both in physical and human capital. Developing countries-- which are often much more affected by climate change to begin with-- often don t have the resources to recover or replace this capital, which then is a further detriment to their growth as a nation. The rise of desertification in some countries such as Mali are making regions uninhabitable due to lack of resources like water to farm, so they must seek refuge in other parts of the country or leave the country altogether. Many populous nations that sit in geographically disaster likely places are the hardest hit in terms of this capital. Some Asian nations, many of which are both densely populated and situated in areas prone to monsoons, cyclones, and other natural disasters, are examples of this. However, this can also be a great RCMUN VII 5

6 detriment to smaller, island nations that can lose great swaths of their population in one fell swoop exemplified by both Vanuatu and Tuvalu, who, due to 2015 s Cyclone Pam had $315 million in damage and over 3,300 displaced. It is important to discuss that climate change is going to inflict heavy pain not just on islands, but poor countries with coasts often below sea level like Bangladesh. In the case study of Bangladesh, a country home to 165 million people and one of the least developed countries in Asia nearly all the citizens are at risk. Bangladesh lies at the heart of three major rivers that naturally flood during the monsoon season (although the increased intensity of storms along with the melting of glaciers in the Himalayas will make it even worse). In addition to having a low lying coast that has no natural barriers to stop flooding. citizens of Bangladesh cannot just go inland escape the forces. According to the environmental Justice League, Climate change will create 150 million refugees in the next forty years so the global community is going to have to have a plan ready to deal with these refugees if the effects of global warming can not be mitigated or reversed. The Climate Change 2014 Synthesis report Summary for Policymakers reports that, Climate change is projected to undermine food security, as well as that, Climate change is projected to reduce renewable surface water and groundwater resources in most dry subtropical regions intensifying competition for water among sectors. ( Climate Change 2014 Synthesis report Summary for Policymakers ) Climate change refugees are not simply an issue of the future, but of the present and past. A five-year drought preceding the Syrian Civil war displaced 1.5 million people. (UNHCR). The drought was one of many significant factors that led to the rise in anger against the Assad Regime and ultimately all out civil war that we see today. Many of these mass events are overlooked for the simple fact that they occur in Less Developed Countries the most. According to the Environmental Justice, despite the fact that LDCs are responsible for only 1% of global carbon emissions, they receive 99% of climate change related deaths. (EJF) Current Positions Many multinational organizations and institutions have stepped up to the plate to face this rising issue.the Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF) is voicing their concern on the international level by calling on countries to abide by the Paris Accords and to guarantee legal rights to climate change refugees. Similarly, it targets the UN, saying that there is a need for a Special Rapporteur to focus energy on the growing dilemma of climate change refugees. (EJF) The UN has answered this call with concern of their own, stating, None of the existing international and regional refugee law instruments, however, specifically addresses the plight of such people (climate change refugees). (UN, Refugees ) UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, made the statement, as quoted by the EJF, Climate change [is] now found to be the key factors accelerating all other drivers of forced displacement. There persons are not truly migrants, in the sense that they did not move voluntarily. It s also important to note that as of now, climate refugees have no legal distinction from other types of refugees. Forcibly displaced by climate change is not covered by the Refugee Protection Regime, they find themselves in a legal void. (EJF) The Environmental Justice Foundation has also completed multiple films chronicling the stories of climate change refugee victims. There is no type of international framework at all to deal with refugees from climate change and the current law does not say climate change can make someone a displaced person under the 1951 Refugee Convention, which states the rights of refugees and how they should be dealt with. Counties like New RCMUN VII 6

7 Zealand have been debating a system of visas for countries that are under immediate threat like the nation of Kiribati in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Other countries have debated raising their refugee quotas to allow entrance of climate refugees. As of early November, the United States is the only country not to have signed the Paris Agreement. Global issues must be met with global force and the US opting out proves a problem for this. It is worth noting that the Paris Climate Accord is non-binding (meaning every nation sets its own goal and enforces the agreement themselves) As the US is both one of the greatest perpetrators of climate change and one of the leading economic entities, their involvement in any agreement carries a great deal of weight. What to Include in a Resolution As a global issue, this will mandate a global response no matter the size or wealth. Both the responsibility to deal with the mitigation of global emissions and the resources and space needed to confront the growing climate refugee dilemma will need to be determined. Working together in bloc countries such as embers of the African Union or the European Union might be a good way to succeeded in aiding refugees from certain parts of the world. Another large question is who should pay to house and supply the refugees. If a nation doesn t want to let in refugees should they then pay other countries that do? Who does the moral responsibility fall upon? It s critical to remember that climate change is a global problem, and therefore must have a global solution. No one or few countries can or will solve it, and therefore the work must be taken on by any and all. Who will take the physical initiative to seek out and implement solutions? That s up for you to decide. Furthermore, remember that the goal of this topic is to fix the refugee crisis that result from our changing climate. Questions to Consider 1. Does your country favor adaptation or mitigation in response to Climate Change? 2. What are the current policies for refugees put in place by your country? 3. What countries will be willing to assist? 4. Should rich countries take a disproportionate share of the burden(since they generally put the most carbon in the air) when it comes to taking in climate refugees. 5. Which will have commitment issues, and how is it best to divide the work required? 6. What has your country done to mitigate or adapt to Climate Change and the refugees flooding in as a result? 7. Whose responsibility is it to take in these refugees? Is it your countries? If not, whose, is it? If yes, how will your country generate solutions? Works Cited Both works cited and recommended sources are included below. Causes of Climate Change. Climate Science Investigations South Florida - Causes of Climate Change, 2.php. RCMUN VII 7

8 Climate Change 2014 Synthesis Report Summary for Policymakers IPCC-Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, pg. 13 Fifth Assessment Report - Mitigation of Climate Change, Guarino, Ben, and Brady Dennis. Climate Change Fueling Disasters, Disease in Potentially Irreversible Ways, Report Warns. The Washington Post, WP Company, 30 October 2017, change-fueling- disastersdisease-in- potentially-irreversible- ways-report- warns/2017/10/30/4f450ac4-bdaf- 11e7-959cfe2b598d8c00_story.html?utm_term=.644b05d419e7 Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) Norwegian Refugee Council. Publications. IDMC, Global Estimates 2015: People Displaced by Disasters, people- displaced-by- disasters/ NOAA Establishes Tipping Points for Sea Level Rise Related Flooding. Google Groups, Google, 18 Dec. 2014, groups.google.com/d/msg/uml-climatenetwork/pxbjrisdhv8/h7n6clmhpvcj Protecting Climate Refugees. Environmental Justice Foundation, ejfoundation.org/what-wedo/climate/protecting-climate- refugees Raleigh, Clionadh, et al. Assessing the Impact of Climate Change on Migration and Conflict. siteresources.worldbank.org/extsocialdevelopment/resources/sdccworkingpaper_m igrationandconflict.pdf Refugees. United Nations, United Nations, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Climate Change and Disasters. UNHCR, change-and- disasters.html United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Frequently Asked Questions on Climate Change and Disaster Displacement. UNHCR, questions-climate- change-disasterdisplacement.html RCMUN VII 8