· Web viewECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL: CHAIR REPORT. Chairpersons: Sartsawat (Tigger) Muangmanee and Shaurya Sachdeva. THE QUESTION OF THE IMPACT OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON FOOD SUSTAINABILITY

THAIMUN VI | 30th March - 2 April 2019

ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL: CHAIR REPORTChairpersons: Sartsawat (Tigger) Muangmanee and Shaurya Sachdeva

THE QUESTION OF THE IMPACT OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON FOOD SUSTAINABILITY

OverviewWith an ever increasing population the issue of food sustainability is more pressing than it initially seems. Climate change is an ever present issue despite certain politicians deeming it to be “fake news”. Carbon levels in the atmosphere have started to rise significantly since the 1940s and this has coincided with the rise in average global temperatures. This is because carbon dioxide enhances the greenhouse effect, a process in which the sun’s rays are reflected out into space while some is reflected back into the earth to warm it. Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere causes less of this heat to escape and more to reflect back into the the earth and result in an increase temperature which in turn leads to an influx of climate related disastersClimate related disasters may impact the agriculture of particular areas leading to a loss of food source for its inhabitants and if those area also produces food for surrounding areas those people will be affected as well. The issue of climate change can manifest itself in many forms depending on where one looks. Droughts plague the farmers of Sub Saharan Africa, Floods affect farmers in countries like Bangladesh and tropical storms are destroying crops in Timor-Leste. Other than the impact on agriculture the effects of climate change also extends to ecosystems which humans may harvest for food such as the forests or oceans. Take example of the ocean ecosystem. Around 30% of the carbon dioxide released is diffused into the oceans causing an increase in the acidity of the oceans. This affects the ocean ecosystem in 2 main ways. Firstly, the carbon dioxide reacts with the carbonate ions to form bicarbonates. This reduces the carbonate ions that shellfish use to form calcium carbonate shells causing their shells to become thinner and more fragile. Secondly, the rise in acidity causes fish who are vulnerable to changes in pH to die out. This has an adverse effect on the food chain and in turn will reduce the sustainability of fish and other marine resources for human consumption.

Food SecurityFood security is defined as the availability of food and how easy it is for a person to access it. For example a particular household can be said to be food secure if it’s inhabitants do not live in hunger or with the constant fear of starvation. It is split into 3 main parts:-Food stability: Refers to the ability to obtain food over time.-Food access: Refers to the affordability and allocation of food-Food availability: Relates to the supply of food through production, distribution, and exchange

UN Sustainable Development Goals related to the issue


- Climate action:- “ The year 2017 was one of the three warmest on record and was 1.1 degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial period. An analysis by the World Meteorological Organization shows that the five-year average global temperature from 2013 to 2017 was also the highest on record. The world continues to experience rising sea levels, extreme weather conditions (the North Atlantic hurricane season was the costliest ever recorded) and increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases. This calls for urgent and accelerated action by countries as they implement their commitments to the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.”

- Goal 2: End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture. - “Goal 2 seeks sustainable solutions to end hunger in all its forms by 2030 and to achieve food security. The aim is to ensure that everyone everywhere has enough good-quality food to lead a healthy life. Achieving this Goal will require better access to food and the widespread promotion of sustainable agriculture. This entails improving the productivity and incomes of small-scale farmers by promoting equal access to land, technology and markets, sustainable food production systems and resilient agricultural practices. It also requires increased investments through international cooperation to bolster the productive capacity of agriculture in developing countries.”

Key Definitions- The Greenhouse effect: a process in which the sun’s rays are reflected out into

space while some is reflected back into the earth to warm it. Greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere causeless of this heat to escape and more to reflect back into the the earth and result in an increase temperature. Which is the enhanced greenhouse effect

- Greenhouse gasses: Gasses that cause the enhance greenhouse effect such as carbon dioxide, methane, etc.

Combating food insecurity

Sustainable AgricultureModern agriculture, as effective as it is in keeping the population fed has a lot of undesirable side effects such as the contamination of groundwater, topsoil depletion and of course the excessive release of greenhouse gasses. Examples of pollutants that come from agriculture include smoke from agricultural burning and traffic, pesticides and nitrous oxide emissions from the use of nitrogen fertilizer. Sustainable agriculture aims to tackle the economic and


social concerns that modern agriculture brings. It essentially means agriculture that is good for the environment and can be kept running for a long time into the future. Sustainable agriculture is quite a broad term and there are many methods that are considered sustainable so here lists a few examples:-Hydroponics This is a farming system which forgoes the use of soil and instead grows crops with their roots directly a mineral solution or in gravel. A variety of systems are available which range from small home scale to large commercial scale.-AquaponicsAquaponics is similar to hydroponics but allows for the raising of aquatic animals (usually fish) as well. Water containing waste material from the fish is used to nourish plants. After the water is used it can be recirculated back for use with the fish. Like hydroponics this is available in a large variety of scales. (pictured in the infographic to the left)-Food ForestsFood forests are farms modeled after a forest ecosystem consisting of growing many layers of edible plants in the shape of a forests. For example a “forest” may consist of a layer of fruit and nut trees, a layer of layer producing shrubbery and mushrooms at the ground level. This allows for a lot of biodiversity in a small area allowing food forests to be very productive for the amount of land they occupy.

-Crop Rotation


The diversity provided by rotating crops every growing season allows for less opportunity for diseases and pest to infect and damage the crops that are grown. This reduces the need for pesticides and and fertilisers.-Natural Pest ManagementThis involves farmers making habitat for and incorporating beneficial insects or other animals into their farms. Insects such as ladybugs and animals such as birds are natural predators to the pests which infect crops. By implementing this, farmers can reduce the amount of pesticides used or forego it completely-Planting cover cropsCover crops are planted during off season when sometimes the soil might be left bare and dry. These crops help stabilize soil health by preventing erosion, replenishing soil nutrients and creating more fertile land which benefits farmers during peak farming sessions. Examples of cover crops are crops of the legumes family and cereal crops like wheat and barley.

Combating Climate Change

Sources of Carbon Dioxide and other greenhouse gases:-Energy production industry: coal and oil burning power plants-Energy-intensive industries: oil refineries; production of metals, glass, paper, cement etc.-Transport: cars, ships (freight transport), aeroplanes etc. Cars are responsible for 12% of the total carbon emissions in the European Union.-Housing: gas and electricity used which are responsible for a lot of carbon emission-Animal Husbandry: This is responsible for around 18% of global greenhouse gas emissions.

--Emissions trading (cap and trade):Emissions trading is a market-based system aimed at providing incentives for businesses to reduce their carbon footprint. (A market-based system in this particular case means the use of price and other economic systems to help reduce carbon emissions). Instead of introducing penalties to firms which have failed to keep within the allowed emissions limit, this method instead aims to ‘put a price on carbon’ and create the element of profit to firms. This method relies on the fact that almost all businesses are only focused with how they will create the most profit out of what they do. This is unlike the‘command-and-control’ approach, where governments will set clear rules as to how much emission firms are allowed to produce and then create a method as to how businesses should adapt so that they will meet this goal; with this approach, if said business were to fail in keeping their emission below the target, then the government will impose sanctions and fines to ensure that they will reduce their carbon footprint. This gives more freedom to


businesses to decide on their own what they need to do to reduce emissions, instead of having the government instruct them to follow a set protocol.A limit is set on how much emission can be produced in total. No businesses can produce more than this cap, or else it faces a harsh fine. Firms need to have a number of specific permits to discharge a corresponding amount of emission. To acquire said permits, the firm must purchase it from the ‘carbon market’ where permits are bought and sold. Firms who need permits to account for their emissions will buy them from this market, and when said firm has adapted to produce less carbon dioxide (along with other toxic pollutants), they can sell the permits to other firms.Examples:--The European Union Emissions Trading System (EU’s ETS):: This is most likely the most well known system of emissions trading in the world, and it makes up 75% of the global carbon market. --The Netherland’s SDE+ (Sustainable Energy Grant Scheme)

The Netherlands SDE+ programme aims to further provide a financial incentive to mid-sized sustainable energy production firms who legally do not need to comply to the EU ETS. The programme provides monetary subsidies to the sustainable energy a company produces, since sustainable energy production in the present day is not always profitable. This gives businesses an incentive to produce more sustainable energy, as they will be able to essentially make money out of the energy they produce. There is a limit as to how much subsidies a firm will get from producing sustainable energy, but the excess amount of energy can be ‘stored’ or banked until next year to be subsidised.

--Renewable Energy Sources:Biomass - This refers to the energy stored in organic matter as a result of

photosynthesis. It is one of the most plentiful source of renewable energy in the world and accounts for around 15% of the world’s total energy supply. Energy is created when the biomass is burnt in a boiler which will create steam which will turn turbines to generate electricity. It must be noted however that the burning of biomass will still produce carbon dioxide albeit at a slower rate than coal or oil would, but the increase in the use of biomass may result in more deforestation which will overall increase the carbon dioxide emissions.

Solar - Solar energy is an inexhaustible resource of which we can use to harness energy. The energy is produced when light energy from the sun hits the solar cell and gets converted into electricity through the photovoltaic effect. To power the entire world with only with solar power would require the area approximately the size of spain. The solar cell has advantages over wind turbines and hydroelectric turbines because it has no moving parts which can be noisy and requires maintenance. On the other hand it is very expensive to build and is quite unreliable on cloudy days.

Hydroelectricity - This is the electricity generated by moving water. Water is trapped by dams which may open and close to let water through turbines which generate electricity.


Hydroelectricity accounts for 20% of the world’s total supply of energy. It is also very inexpensive and efficient source of energy. The best advantage of hydroelectricity is that it is flexible and reliable as it can quickly respond to fluctuations in the demand of energy very quickly but opening or closing the dam gates. The construction of a dam however may have environmental impacts such as flooding or interrupting migrational patterns of fish. This can be seen in China’s Three Gorges dam.

Wind - electricity is produced by the turning of a wind turbine by the force of the wind. Wind power is the most promising out of the renewable energy resources as it is very efficient both in terms of land use and energy production. The turbine itself does not occupy very much land allowing the land around it to be used for farming or ranching. It is also relatively cheap to produce at 2-3 cents per kilowatt hours compared to coal’s 4-5 cents per kilowatt hours. The problem with wind energy is that it is relatively unreliable as it relies on the wind to produce its energy. The spinning turbines has also been shown to disrupt the migration patterns of birds as well.

Tidal - This refers to the energy produced when the forces of the tide turn turbines on a tidal stream generator which resembles an underwater windmill. This resource can produce energy at 2 points of a day: when the tide moves in and when the tide moves out thus making it quite unreliable. It can also only be built where the tidal force is very strong which limits possible locations. It has also been known to disrupt aquatic life as well.

Wave - Wave energy is primarily generated by the Pelamis wave energy converter which consists of long interconnecting sections. These sections flex and move as the wave passes and this motion is used to generate electricity. They then send the electricity back to shore by undersea cables. It has very low operation costs and has minimal aesthetic pollution. However it can only be built at coastlines with sufficient wave action and the effect on marine life are currently unclear.

Geothermal - Geothermal energy produces energy by using the extreme heat underground near the earth’s mantle to heat water which turns into steam to turn turbines generating electricity. Though this resource is abundant and renewable it is only able to be used at geothermal hotspots which are not a common occurrence. There have also been some concerns of the resource not being as renewable as we had once assumed.Potential Renewable Energy Sources:

Nuclear Fusion - Though nuclear power is not technically renewable it produces a large quantity of energy from very little input. It also does not produce harmful greenhouse gasses but does produce radioactive waste which must be properly dealt with. Uranium, which is used as fuel in nuclear reactors, is very abundant in the earth and very little is used in nuclear power plants at a time.

Past UN actions on the issue--United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)


The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, signed by 165 nation states, aims to provide a framework for governments around the world to tackle the problem of climate change by setting a ‘lofty but specific goal’ as to where the global temperatures should be, along with other signs that signify a reduction in climate change. The UNFCCC encourages nations to convene and create further ‘agreements’ and ‘protocols’ to deal with more specific matters that affects global climate change so that the treaty’s aim is realised. Its official aim is to stabilise greenhouse gas emissions that would prevent an irreversible detrimental human effect to the environment. The UNFCCC insisted that developed and industrialised countries should take lead on tackling climate change, as they are the largest contributor to the production of greenhouse gases; the treaty has thus separated member states into three groups: Annex I include developed and industrialised countries that are in the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, An intergovernmental organisation which aims to stimulate economic progress and world trade) and countries with economies in transition; Annex II include the Annex I countries, apart from the EIT(economies in transition) countries. Countries in this group are required to provide financial help to developing nations to help with emissions reduction and preparation for the effects of climate change. They are also required to promote the development of techniques to reduce emissions and transfer them to developing nations; Non-Annex include most developing nations.--Kyoto ProtocolFormed on December 11, 1997 in Kyoto, the treaty was a result of three years on convening of parties at the Conference of Parties. During COP-1, member states agreed that it is vital to create a protocol which creates more specific goals and method in order for nations to reach the UNFCCC goals. This treaty commits nations to reduce their carbon dioxide emissions, along with other GHG (Greenhouse gases), which is unlike the UNFCCC which only encourages nations to reduce GHG. Though the treaty is signed in 1997, it was put in force in 2005, when Russia ratified the protocol. The reason why the protocol took so long to be put in effect was because in order for it to be put in force, it needed 55 member states to ratify it, and the ratified countries must be responsible for at least 55% of the global greenhouse gas production. The main objective of The Kyoto Protocol is to collectively reduce the global emission of greenhouse gases by 5.2% below that of the level of emissions in 1990 by 2012. To achieve this goal, countries, specifically developed nations, were set an emissions reduction goal which can range from +10% to -7%. It did not name specific methods for countries to reduce their emissions, but they could either reduce their emissions by various means which best fits them, or they can contribute to the increase of the amount of ‘ removal sinks’, which are places which help reduce GHG emissions (forests etc.), or they could choose to do both. Countries which are seen to be big producers of GHG were set goals to reduce their emissions, and those who are seen to be relatively small producers were actually permitted


to increase their emissions production. Developing countries (including China and India) were exempted from this. THE KYOTO MECHANISM comprises of 3 optional recommended methods of emission reduction for nations to adopt that was written in the protocol. They include:

-International Emissions Trading (discussed below)-Clean Development Mechanism-Joint Implementation

--Was it successful?By the time the protocol was adapted as an international law, it was already more than halfway through the 1990-2012 period that the protocol defines as the time nations had to reduce emissions. This also meant that GHG continued to rise rapidly during the 1990s and early 2000s. By 2011, some nations were able to meet or exceed their assigned reduction amount, with the EU being a prime example, but since the US did not ratify the protocol, it (along with China) continued to produce emissions that practically made up for the reduction of GHG from other nations. According to the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency, emissions increased by 40% from 1990 in 2009.

--Paris climate agreementThe 2015 Paris Agreement was one of the most well-known agreements to combat climate change, and it has recently been on the news, thanks to the United State's decision to leave the agreement. The treaty was formed in Paris on December 12, 2015, aims to intensify the actions of governments to reduce emissions, seeing as the effects of climate change are become ever more so evident.The agreement recognizes the fundamental priority of achieving food security, and the vulnerability of food production systems to climate impacts. It was put into force on November 4, 2016, when the treaty’s threshold for it to be put into force was reached (same as the Kyoto Protocol’s).The main objective of the Paris Agreement is to reduce the global temperature rise during this century below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, and to find means to try to reduce that amount further to 1.5 degrees Celsius. This is defined in the ‘Mitigation’ section of the agreement. Inside this section the treaty also recognises that global emissions should peak as soon as possible so that nations can work on ways to reduce GHG emissions, though it also recognises that developing nations will take longer to reach its peak. Furthermore, the agreement aims to strengthen countries’ ability to deal with the effects of climate change. New financial flow routes and technological frameworks have been devised to support developing nations whilst also respecting their national goals. The treaty also calls for member states to cooperate and devise methods to deal with the loss and damage that may potentially happen due to the impacts of global warming. This includes cooperation to create effective early warning systems and emergency situation preparedness.


Further reading: https://jamba.org.za/index.php/jamba/article/view/411/712 http://www.ciesin.org/docs/004-138/004-138.html https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/06/180608003211.htm https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/food-insecurity-index/https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/report/2016/goal-02/https://www.cbpp.org/research/policy-basics-policies-to-reduce-greenhouse-gas-emissionshttps://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/CarbonCycle/page5.phphttps://www.government.nl/topics/climate-change/national-measureshttps://unfccc.int/files/press/backgrounders/application/pdf/fact_sheet_the_kyoto_protocol.pdfhttps://ec.europa.eu/clima/policies/international/negotiations/paris_enhttp://www.altenergy.org/renewables/renewables.html

THE QUESTION OF IMPROVING INFRASTRUCTURE TO COMBAT WATER SHORTAGES

Overview Around 70% of the earth’s surface is covered with water however only around 3% of water present on earth is freshwater and around ⅔ of that measly 3% are frozen in glaciers or unavailable for use. The steady increase of global population combined with the mismanagement of water resources have resulted in large majority of the world's water reserves reaching critical condition. According to the WWF approximately 1.1 billion people lack worldwide lack access to water while further 2.7 billion find water scarce for at least 1 month out of the year. 2.4 billion lack water sanitation with brings along water-borne


diseases. Most of the water consumed is by agriculture and a lot of that water is wasted. That combined with the changing weather patterns due to climate change has meant that the supply of water is inconsistent.

The impacts of water shortages come in many ways. The most apparent are the fact that people don’t have access to clean fresh water which has increased the spread of water-borne illnesses such as cholera and typhoid. Another important viewpoint is of damage to the ecosystems which rely on water such as wetlands, which brings along its fair share of ecological problems.

Water shortage is also having large negative economic impacts to many nations and the impacts may worsen if the situation isn’t looked at carefully. According to the world bank, a country’s GDP may decline by 6% in the next 30 years due to erratic and uncertain water supplies supported by increased demand for fresh water. Countries situated in Central Africa, East Asia and the Middle East are most likely to face such issues due to rapid population growth and an increased demand for fresh water. What is most often overlooked is that countries with growing economies tend to provide better lifestyles for the individuals who proportionally demand a larger quantity of freshwater. A study conducted by the world banks shows that “a family earning $150,000 per year will often use twice as much water as one bringing in $75,000.”

The United Nations has called for more economically developed nations to increase expenditure on infrastructure for water conservation and increased its efforts by setting camps in Sub-Saharan Africa in order to educate individuals about water conservation. Advancements in technology is crucial for the next 10 years as it will help create new solutions in order to preserve clean and safe water.


The graph above shows the increased water usage since 1989

Key Definitions

Artesian basin: An artesian basin or aquifer is a confined aquifer containing groundwater under positive pressure. This causes the water level in the well to rise to a point where hydrostatic equilibrium has been reached (balance between pressure on the aquifer and pressure from the aquifer).

Aquifer: Rocks that can hold water.

Saturated: When all pore space is full and rocks or soil can hold no more water.

Groundwater: Water held under the surface of the earth.

Depletion: When something is reducing, aquifers can become depleted in dry periods or when they are managed unsustainably.

Water extraction, water abstraction, or groundwater extraction: is the process of taking water from any source, either temporarily or permanently. This water can be used for irrigation, industry, recreation, flood control or treatment to produce drinking water.


Sustainable yield: The maximum extraction of water that can be maintained indefinitely.

UN Sustainable Development Goals related to the issue

SDG Goal 6:- “Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all”

“Clean, accessible water for all is an essential part of the world we want to live in and there is sufficient fresh water on the planet to achieve this. However, due to bad economics or poor infrastructure, millions of people including children die every year from diseases associated with inadequate water supply, sanitation and hygiene. Water scarcity, poor water quality and inadequate sanitation negatively impact food security, livelihood choices and educational opportunities for poor families across the world. At the current time, more than 2 billion people are living with the risk of reduced access to freshwater resources and by 2050, at least one in four people is likely to live in a country affected by chronic or recurring shortages of fresh water. To improve sanitation and access to drinking water, there needs to be increased investment in management of freshwater ecosystems and sanitation facilities on a local level in several developing countries within Sub-Saharan Africa, Central Asia, Southern Asia, Eastern Asia and South-Eastern Asia.”

SDG Goal 3:- “Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages”

“People are still suffering needlessly from preventable diseases, and too many are dying prematurely. Overcoming disease and ill health will require concerted and sustained efforts, focusing on population groups and regions that have been neglected.” Diseases such as cholera and typhoid are prevalent in Sub Saharan Africa and due to such diseases, regions in Africa have high child mortality rates leading to increased death rates. Water treatment is quintessential in such regions as clean drinking water promotes a greater life expectancy and provides greater economic prosperity for farmers which helps stimulate economic growth.

Soft Measure strategies

Improving Agricultural water productivity

Agricultural water productivity should be improved in water stressed basins where irrigation of agriculture usually takes place. Agricultural water productivity is “the amount or value of product over volume or value of water depleted or diverted”.“Improving agricultural water productivity is about increasing the production of rainfed or irrigated crops, but also about maximizing the products and services from livestock, trees and fish per unit of water use.” Using highly efficient nutrients will help reduce the water wastage and reduce the water stressed population. Improving Agricultural productivity will improve farmer incomes and provide them with fairer prices for their output as better productivity is assured through better utilization of resources such as less water consumption and a reduction in crop loses. In an economic point of view, the poor will be able use water in a more productive manner which


can mean better nutrition for families, more income, productive employment, and greater equity. Targeting high water productivity can reduce investment costs by reducing the amount of water that has to be withdrawn.

Improving Irrigation efficiency

Irrigation efficiency is the ratio of the amount of water consumed by the crop to the amount of water supplied through irrigation. Irrigation efficiency ensures less water wastage and a switch from flood irrigation to sprinklers and other equipment may help ensure the goal of irrigation efficiency. Although capital costs of governments may rise, countries like The United States of America, The United Kingdom, Germany and Brazil have already adopted such equipment in order to improve irrigation efficiency and utilize water in a more efficient manner.

Hard Measure Strategies

DamsDams are probably the first thing that springs to mind when water infrastructure is mentioned. They are barriers that stop or restrict the flow of water which can be used for many purposes such as power generation, irrigation on water supply. Dams are often built in deep river valleys. There are a number of factors that needs to be considered for the construction of dam like the environmental and human social impacts along with geological factors such as soil and rock permeability, height of the water table and earthquake fault lines which can have adverse effects on the functionality of the dam.

Groundwater and Aquifer rechargingAquifers are an underground layer of water permeable rock that holds onto water that drains through the surface from rain or snowfall. This water can then be extracted for human use.Unlike surface water, groundwater does not quickly recharge and aquifers often become depleted in areas of excessive pumping. A solution to this is a process called artificial groundwater recharge. There are many types of artificial aquifer recharge but essentially it is the process by which water is guided back into aquifers to assist in the speed that they recharge.

Water credit


This is a system of loans that are given to families, communities and small enterprises in need to use on improving their water supply and sanitation. This aims at reducing the number of people suffering from water scarcity and allowing more development to take place.

Rainwater HarvestingRainwater harvesting is already commonplace in Africa, where it is the most common source of water for many people. This involves the use of water catchment and collection basins, this water can then be used for daily chores such as cooking and laundry or even drinking. Some areas where the natural landscape can act as a large collection basin could allow for rainwater to be harvested on a larger scale, which can then be treated and supplied to a population.

Water SeerA water seer uses the surrounding environment to extract water from the atmosphere. It is usually planted 6 feet below ground as it’s surrounded by cool earth to keep the water cold. Above the ground is a small turbine which spins fan blades that are able to send air to the condensation chamber which helps keep the water cool. This is a great strategy in order to store water as the water seer can hold up to 37 liters of water per day and is very cost efficient.

Fog CatchersVast mesh nets capture moisture from fog, which drips into collection trays after condensation. Fog catching could provide a sustainable supply of drinking water for small communities in water-scarce region.

Ways LEDCs can manage water resources1. Wells, dug by hand, are a common way of accessing water 2. Gravity-fed schemes are used where there is a spring on a hillside. The water can be

piped from the spring down to the villages.3. Boreholes can require more equipment to dig, but can be dug quickly and usually

safely. They require a hand or diesel pump to bring the water to the surface.4. Growing crops less dependant on a high water supply

Real world examples


The Aral seaThis is the best example of how the mismanagement of water can have disastrous effects. The Aral sea, located in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Turkmenistan used to be the 4th largest lake in Asia. Now only 10% of it remains. The sea dried up and what was left of it is now a desert (pictured to the right). It is unclear when the sea started to show signs of drying up but the cause is quite clear. The large industry of cotton in Uzbekistan required a lot of water to grow it’s cotton, as the industry kept growing more and more water was needed so more water was diverted to irrigate the cotton fields, this slowly caused the sea to recede and eventually dry up. This caused the water that was left to become extremely salty which resulted in a large number of fish dying. This had huge economic impacts to the nearby towns which relied heavily on fishing and has lead to food shortages as well. There has been progress in restoring the aral sea in the Aral Sea restoration program which involved the construction of Kok-Aral dam.

The Lesotho Highlands Water ProjectThe LHWP is a transnational project by the governments of Lesotho and the republic of South Africa to supply water to South Africa and generate electricity for Lesotho. The multibillion dollar project consists of building dams and tunnels to divert water to reservoirs so that they may be supplied to South Africa or discharged in times of critical shortages. Although the project is often criticised as it is plagued with corruption it is a good example of water management

Past actions on the issue

Initiative by Water is life“In partnership with non-profit Water is Life, researchers at Carnegie Mellon University developed this education and filtration tool. Each page of the book provides basic water and sanitation advice, such as the importance of keeping contaminants like rubbish and faeces away from water, often unknown in developing countries. Perhaps more novel is that the advice is printed on “scientific coffee filter” paper that can be used to purify drinking water and reduce 99.9% of bacteria. Each book has enough filtration sheets to provide its reader with clean water for four years. It’s being distributed in Ghana, Kenya, Haiti, Ethiopia, India and Tanzania, and a Farsi version of the book is in development.”


Formation of a new UN committee“The first is the development of UN-Water, a mechanism coordinating the actions of the United Nations at implementing the agenda set by the Millennium Declaration related to freshwater. Briefly stated, the Millennium Declaration promotes adequate use and treatment of water based on several guidelines. The complete Millennium Declaration can be seen on the United Nations website. UN-Water has formed itself a stance in the United Nations by forming partnerships with other UN agencies. It calls for “coordinated action within the UN system and with other partners and stakeholders – including organizations from the public and private sectors, civil society, and labour – as part of a global, comprehensive effort”.

Further Actions Taken by the UN

World Water Day 2007: Coping with water scarcity“World Water Day 2007 was dedicated to the theme "Coping with water scarcity". It highlighted the increasing significance of water scarcity worldwide and the need for increased integration and cooperation to ensure sustainable, efficient and equitable management of scarce water resources, both at international and local levels.”

World Day to Combat Desertification 2013“The theme of the 2013 World Day to Combat Desertification is drought and water scarcity. This year's slogan, "Don't let our future dry up", calls for everyone to take action to promote preparedness and resilience to water scarcity, desertification and drought. The slogan embodies the message that we are all responsible for water and land conservation and sustainable use, and that there are solutions to these serious natural resource challenges.”

Further reading:http://sdg.iisd.org/news/world-bank-finances-water-supply-infrastructure-as-countries-plan-for-water-scarcity/https://qz.com/1234012/we-cant-engineer-our-way-out-of-an-impending-water-scarcity-epidemic/ http://www.fao.org/3/a-i6459e.pdf.


https://www.bbc.com/news/resources/idt-a0c4856e-1019-4937-96fd-8714d70a48f7https://water.org/about-us/our-work/watercredit/https://www.theguardian.com/global-development-professionals-network/2017/feb/13/global-water-crisis-innovation-solutionhttps://www.bbc.com/news/resources/idt-a0c4856e-1019-4937-96fd-8714d70a48f7https://www.triplepundit.com/2015/06/innovative-solutions-water-shortage-crisis/https://www.circleofblue.org/2010/world/experts-name-the-top-19-solutions-to-the-global-freshwater-crisis/

THE QUESTION OF THE IMPLEMENTATION OF CHINA’S SOCIAL CREDIT SYSTEM

Overview

China’s social credit system is a form of mass surveillance designed to allow for easier assessment to the social and business reputation of citizens and businesses. Data is collected from various sources including a person or business account, network activities, health records, police records and other related government records. China plans to have


this system in place nationwide by 2020 but this will only be limited to mainland China and will not include Hong Kong and Macau. The concept of the social credit system dates back to 1999 when China decided to rank its citizens according to their financial creditworthiness to see their impact on China’s economy. However, in the 21st century, China have mended the system and instead of basing it on a citizen’s economic output, they have decided to rank the ethical and moral behaviour of the country’s enterprises, officials, judiciary, and citizens.

Every citizen is assigned a score of 1000 and points are added if you do things the government views as being a good citizen such as performing heroic acts.The total would be then be used to assign an A to D rating. A-ratings were above 970 points, while those with less than 599 points were given D-ratings. Points are deducted if you perform activities that the government considers bad such as jaywalking, spending too much time/money on video games or smoking in a public area. The system also tracks your relationships and friends, giving you bad credit if you associate yourself with people who have bad credit. Citizens are monitored by a large amount of surveillance cameras equipped with facial recognition technology, which can be used to publicly shame ‘bad’ citizens on nearby billboards and signs.

For businesses the social credit system aims to tackle the general lack of trust in the chinese marketplace and aims to reduce the amount of cheating and production of counterfeit goods. The idea is that companies will be more inclined to follow government regulation if there is a threat of having their score lowered by employees or satisfied clients and customers. Companies with good credit scores will enjoy benefits such as lower tax rates, and more investment opportunities. Companies with bad credit scores will potentially face unfavorable conditions for new loans, higher tax rates and investment restrictions. Currently there is nothing to separate chine companies and foreign companies operating in the chinese market so there is a large possibility that these foreign companies will be subjected to the social credit system as well.

The social credit system has faced scrutiny by western nations stating that the Chinese government had no right to rate the country’s citizens and the system was compared to the “good citizen” identity card which was used by the Japanese to rate Chinese citizens during the infamous World War II. The whole social credit system has raised several eyebrows in the United States of America and the Trump Administration has threatened to deny Chinese immigrants entry into United States of America and also threatened prospective Chinese students entry to top colleges in the country.


Problems with the social credit code

Direct impact on International companiesThe social credit code has had negative impacts outside China’s borders as well as many multinational companies who conduct trade with China have been forced to comply the social credit code despite not having sufficient information about the system and many of these companies have considered to halt trade with China. This could have ramifications on China’s economy as 26% of the economy is reliant on the exports China does with other nations.

Social and Cultural isolationAs mentioned earlier, the social credit code gives each individual a score rating which can provide benefits or punishments depending on the individuals score. However, if an individual has a poor score, it could impact those around the individual and lower their scores as well. One consequence of this impact is that individuals might unfriend somebody with a lower score in order to avoid facing such consequences. This causes social and cultural isolation if people don’t follow the policies set forth by the government.


Responses to the systemA survey done by the free university of berlin showed that 80% of the chinese citizens surveyed either somewhat approved or strongly approve of the system, the latter being at 49%

The Human rights watch has condemn the system for being huge violation of privacy calling the system chilling and many news networks are comparing it to “1984” the dystopian novel by George Orwell.

There are also other mass government surveillance systems in place around the world like India’s Central Monitoring System (CMS), the UK’S MTI system and the ONYX system in Switzerland but while they allow for the interception of calls and monitoring of internet history none of them have been as extreme in taking action as the social credit system.

UN actions relating to the issueThe UN has expressed a strong stance condemning all forms of unlawful mass government surveillance as a violation of the human right to privacy and possibly the right of freedom of expression and has adopted resolutions on the issue. Stating :“States should ensure that any interference with the right to privacy is consistent with the principles of legality, necessity and proportionality”

The resolution also requires states to justify the necessity and proportionality of their use of mass surveillance.

Access the resolution using this link

It is important to note as the resolution does not directly address the social credit system and wether the social credit code falls under this is still up for debate.

How to debate this topicSince information on this topic is quite limited, delegates should try to focus on the potential effects of the system on the society and the global economy. Do not be afraid to call human rights into question even if we aren’t in the HRC as the the right to privacy and right to freedom of expression is being called into question, the chairs will entertain any point that we deem will add to debate. Delegates should also inspect their nation’s own surveillance systems to see if it shares similarities with china’s system and whether it too could fall under unlawful government surveillance. It is also important to note that this system is still in it’s trial stages so some details such as the punishments and criterias for bad credit can still be changed and negotiated.

Further reading:https://www.chinacheckup.com/blogs/articles/unified-social-credit-code


https://customshousebrokerage.guru/2018/05/china-implementation-of-uscc-uniform-social-credit-code-as-of-june-1-2018-for-export-clearance-purposes/#https://web.archive.org/web/20170910041207/https://www.merics.org/fileadmin/user_upload/downloads/China-Monitor/merics_ChinaMonitor_39_englisch_Web.pdfhttps://www.hrw.org/news/2017/12/12/chinas-chilling-social-credit-blacklisthttp://www.visiontimes.com/2015/12/23/the-social-credit-system-in-china-is-another-way-to-control-its-citizens.htmlhttps://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jun/28/chinas-social-credit-system-could-interfere-in-other-nations-sovereigntyhttps://privacyinternational.org/impact/united-nations-recognition-privacyhttps://www.scribd.com/document/248230026/Un-Privacy-Resolutionhttps://www.article19.org/resources/un-resolution-affirms-surveillance-that-is-not-necessary-or-proportionate-is-against-the-right-to-privacy/

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· Web viewECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL: CHAIR REPORT. Chairpersons: Sartsawat (Tigger) Muangmanee and Shaurya Sachdeva. THE QUESTION OF THE IMPACT OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON FOOD SUSTAINABILITY