The Big Bad MUN Guide I: "Those Wishing to Be Added to the Primary Speakers' List Will Please Raise Their Placards!"

Delegates!

I hope you're enjoying your well-deserved break from studies. What a wonderful time to lean back, enjoy the season, look forward to next semester's classes (Practical Aspects of German Applied Linguistics is gonna ROCK!), and relax.

Wait... relax? How silly of me! What I meant to say was that this holiday break means time to HONE OUR MODEL UNITED NATIONS SKILLS! WOOHOO! (I can hear you all cheering along with me right now.) Let's get to work!

Well, okay: perhaps it will be permissible for you to kick back just a little these next couple of weeks, but when that unavoidable, itchy "I-need-my-dose-of-global-dynamics-and-international-politics" feeling hits you, we're here for you. As promised, this post brings to you the first installment of the "Big Bad MUN Guide". I hope you enjoy it, huddled up warm inside as I'm sure you all are right now. If anyone spots errors, omissions, or even merely has a humourous comment, by all means, e-mail me. Alright, then, without further ado:

The Big Bad MUN Guide (Microsoft Word file)

So, I guess that`s about it. Maybe just one last thing: not that the information itself is anything new to you, especially if you`ve been following this blog, but I was reading Reader`s Digest the other day, and came across and article that focused on exactly what we`ll debating this February. If for no other reason than that I was simply excited to encounter it so unexpectedly, here`s the article:

E-Waste (Reader's Digest) *

Happy New Year, All!

*The URL for that RD article seems to change; make sure the last digit is 0, not 1.

Who Wants a Climate Change Glossary?! (Answer: All of you)

Delegates!

I was just cuisine around the BBC’s website, as I’m sure many of you do religiously as well, when I found a very informative CLIMATE CHANGE GLOSSARY. Yes, you heard correctly, someone has taken the time to compile a helpful list of all the scientific and otherwise associated terms being tossed around the UN climate summit in Copenhagen. I would highly recommend that when you find a term you don’t quite understand in your research that you check here to find it!

Link: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8314171.stm

Although the discussions in Copenhagen may seem very far away right now, come February you will share in many of the same problems that the leaders and representatives of the world now face in their discussions.

“The first week of the United Nations climate meeting has unfolded more or less as expected: with much posturing, minor progress and punctuated moments of drama — inside and outside the meeting’s venue.”

1. Dealing diplomatically in a conference full of setbacks while trying to work within the constraints of a limited amount of time.

When you look at our conference’s length in hours compared to the Copenhagen conference’s length in days, time constraints are definitely an obstacle faced by both. Add in procedural matters (all I can say is, start practicing your placard raising delegates so your arms won’t get too tired in the conference!), positions stated and re-stated and re-re-stated, unavoidable deadlock, and all of the joy and frustration that comes with any kind of negotiation, and you’ll wonder how anyone can solve anything in so little time, particularly something as complex and important as the environmental problems we face.

“But as the enthusiasm gave way to actual deliberations, and amid a flurry of negotiating texts for a pact, alternative texts and somewhat secret alternatives to the alternatives, familiar stumbling blocks quickly emerged.”

2. A lack of options.

Sure, we all know what the problems are, and how important the effects of those problems left unsolved could be, but who actually has any idea how to solve them? Delegates, I would strongly urge you to come to the conference not only understanding the issues and your county’s position on it them, but also with some initiative. What are your country’s policies domestically? How effective are they? Can they be applied internationally? Even if you think that the answers are “not at all,” and “probably not,” you’d be surprised by how often you’re able to merge and fuse these policies as you interact with other delegates.

“Poor and vulnerable countries — represented, for the most part, by the Group of 77 (which actually counts 130 developing countries among its members) and the Alliance of Small Island States — quickly adopted a hard stance, insisting that the talks would be threatened if rich countries did not commit to steeper reductions of greenhouse gases and higher levels of financing for poor ones so that they could adapt to a changing climate and change their carbon profiles.”

3. The schism between North/South and Developed/Underdeveloped Countries

Once you finally find some shaky common ground on which to build a resolution, the question comes: who is going to pay for it? This question can be divided a million ways: who “SHOULD” pay for it (the richest countries? The highest producers of toxic and biohazardous waste? The countries with the most to lose?) and then, of course, who CAN pay for it?

These are all obstacles that you will face (and hopefully, overcome!) both in your research, and in the conference. Good luck!

Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/14/business/energy-environment/14iht-green14.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1

Brr... Winter's Arrived, I See. Is Global Warming So Bad?

Delegates!

It’s been a while! We, the UNEP Dais Staff, apologize for our apparent disappearance this past number of weeks. We also bring to you an excuse: final exams. We hope you understand. (I`ve just got calculus on Monday, and then I`m DONE! WOOHOO!)

So, what’s happened since we’ve been ‘gone’? Well, “Madrid” is behind us, and that big bad “Copenhagen” is upon us! I had planned a post showing the developing nature of Canada’s role in this conference (noting a number of really good articles from the Edmonton Journal, the Gateway (the U of A`s student newspaper), and other publications), but, again, finals happened, and that fell by the wayside. So now we find ourselves here, well into December, and with the end of the year fast approaching, I note with excitement that HSMUN 2010 CAN`T BE FAR BEHIND (YAY!). (We`ll get those background papers to you soon. Promise. Just doing some final editing right now…)

In this light, my thoughts have turned a little from the environmental issues you’ll be debating to the technical nitty-gritty stuff of the conference. Now, I know that many of you are seasoned veterans of HSMUN, and have no fear at all of marching off into the battle that is caucus. Others, however, have never participated in a Model UN, and I don't think I'd be entirely wrong to say that a number of you are a little unsure of what to expect. What do you do when you first get to the conference? What kinds of thinks will you find yourself involved in doing? And, very importantly: how on earth does debate run in this crazy MUN thing? Well, empathizing with those of you who do have these questions, you'll be seeing in the next little while an EXCITING (maybe) and INFORMATIVE (hopefully) series of posts that will be designed to walk you through what you need to know to shine at February's conference, with a special focus on rules of procedure. So keep your eyes peeled for that.

While you're waiting... I'd like to direct your attention again to The HSMUN 2010 UNEP Foreign Policy Index. Still in its beginning stages, there are only a small number of articles indexed, but it is still a resource worth checking out to get clear statements of foreign policy (even for some more obscure nation-states).

If you have an article that you'd like to share, or want to draw our attention to anything that ought to be indexed, by all means, feel free to help out! Send us what you've got. In a similar vein, if there's something you'd like to get cleared up, or if you have any ideas for a 'feature' you'd like to see in this blog, we'd love to hear from you! Let us know- you can e-mail us by clicking on our names in that top right-hand corner box.

I'll leave you with just two more items:

1. Canada's role at Copenhagen. I can't help it: I know I've fallen behind and I've pretty much abandoned the idea I mentioned (above) about tracking this, but I still just want to turn your attention to two Journal articles, with kind of contrasting topics:

a) Canada Mocked and Praised At Copenhagen

b) Canada Working Constructively At Copenhagen

2. Research at the University of Alberta. So, I was searching for articles pertaining to this year's topics of debate, and found an interesting article (similar to previous ones posted, but with some new information) I wanted to share (see a) below). I got to thinking about why I'd never heard of this "School of Energy and the Environment" before, but then though, why would I have? A university setting is a goldmine of information and research, and that's about when I found the list of experts at the U of A (b) below) that's I've given the link for. Not quite sure of key issues? Having troubles with your research? Go ahead and contact these folks! That's what they're there for! And it's all so easy- you can just fire off a quick e-mail...

a) Climate Change and the Environment

b) University of Alberta Experts Listing

Radioactive Waste

You may have heard recently of the Italian mafia's newest venture of illegal toxic waste dumping in the Mediterranean.

The international community hasn't done nearly as much as it should in the way of monitoring the safe disposal of wastes, especially radioactive and nuclear materials.

Here are some links, though, which should help you figure out what has been done in this area:
- Most important, the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal, which has been signed (although not ratified) by most countries of the world;
- UNEP's Earthwatch, which has tons of documents about what the IAEA, UN, UNEP etc. have done and discovered about radioactive waste management;
- and the Nuclear Energy Agency's publications on everything related to nuclear waste management (it has some very helpful documents which outline the basics).

Well, hope that helps! Enjoy! =)

Eww... marine mucilage?

Check out this excellent article from The Economist on 'The Rise of Slime' which discusses the results of a warming ocean.
The scientist discussed in the report can be seen in this video, talking further about his study and the culprits causing ocean degredation.

Thought from the Secretary-General and More!

Delegates!

A couple weeks back, we HSMUN volunteers had a training meeting, and one part of our discussion focused on what we'd like to see delegates accomplish this year. To quote our beloved Secretary-General, Amy Sanderson (at least, I hope I'm quoting correctly): "It's very hard to pass a resolution with 'teeth'." Now, I wouldn't be surprised at all if it was actually one of the Under-Secretaries who actually said that first, and Amy just decided to pass it off as her own, and... well, never mind, that's not important.

What is a resolution with "teeth"? I hear you cry. Simply put, it's a resolution that makes a lot of forceful demands, perhaps is accusatory, probably arouses the ire of other states, all the while being out of place with its direct and assertive nature. In short, it's the kind of resolution you won't see getting passed by the General Assembly, at least not in real life.

Consequently, one of our goals for this year`s conference is to really push content of the resolutions we`ll be writing. As nice as it is to have something to show during plenary for all of your hard working, simply getting that oh-so-much-needed two-thirds majority vote and passing a resolution is not the be all end all. What we want to see at this conference is well-written draft resolutions* that show an understanding of dynamics on the stage of international affairs, and, at a more basic level, good debate and caucusing (I love using this as a verb) demonstrating familiarity with foreign policy. (*It`s worth noting that more `realistic` resolutions may also have the added benefit of being more likely to get passed, but remember: that`s only secondary.)

Want to see what a typical UN Resolution dealing with climate change looks like? Follow this link to check out a recent resolution passed by the General Assembly:

Climate Change and Its Possible Security Implications

I don`t want to be all depressing, or anything, but, um, it`s not much, is it? Realistically, your average UN resolution is going to more-or-less adhere to the following format.



The General Assembly,

(followed by 14 seemingly different clauses which are really just variations of:)
Deeply concerned by such and such a travesty that`s causing a lot of problems for everyone everywhere, about which we really should do something right now,

1. Decides to remain actively seized of the matter.

And that`s about it. Am I just being silly now? Maybe. But it`s something to consider.

By the way, here`s a resolution with a little more substance that actually deals very directly with not just climate change, but also its effect on marine life and what to do about it (yay! It`s been a little difficult to find stuff that deals directly with your debate topics). But you`ll have to search carefully through an awful lot (this one deals with everything water-related. Good luck, delegates) to find the `gems` you`ll need!

Oceans and the Law of the Sea

All right, now, having said all this, the qualification: Despite what you`ve just read, please please please don`t let us keep you from thinking BIG and CREATIVELY. Okay?

By the way, if you`re looking for resolutions, use the UN`s Official Document System. It`s helpful to type the code a/res in ``symbol`` field when searching- that will filter your search to just resolutions. We highly recommend that you read a few resolutions to get a feel for both the resolution format and the kind of document you`re aiming to create. (Oh! I just felt a twinge of excitement there! Man, I am SO looking forward to February! You guys are going to make us so proud.)

And, a last-minute announcement: You might have noticed the picture up in the right-hand corner of this post. The story: I was walking about campus, when suddenly, a mysterious masked bandit (I may or may not be exaggerating) swung down from a nearby building on a vine and shoved an envelope (with "Secret Dossier No. 31" typed neatly on the front) into my hands. I opened it and found the flyer that I've scanned in and posted above. So, for all you keeners who are a) looking for some good discussion and research opportunities relating to Climate Change and the Copenhagen Conference, and b) free this Wednesday, you can head over to the university on the 18th for ECOS's November "Green Session". As you can see, you'll have to e-mail them TODAY to sign-up, but I'm sure, if you miss doing that on time, it'll be okay if you still show up. Just don't go eating all their cookies and juice!

"Radioactive Milk" and International Toxic Waste Trade

Delegates!

“A common way of exporting wastes to non-OECD countries [countries not belonging to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development] has been to disguise it. This was the case with the mixing of 1000 tons of copper smelter fumace dust (containing high levels of lead) with fertiliser by a US company. This fertiliser was subsequently sold to Bangladeshi farmers, some of whom had already spread it on their fields before the scheme was uncovered. Some of the waste exports to non-OECD countries have even been labelled as aid and humanitarian assistance. For example, radioactive milk was sent to Jamaica from the EC in 1987, and outdated and illegal pesticides were sent by Germany to Albania in 1992. Waste export firms also thought up other creative ways to disguise their hazardous waste exports, such as the attempt by US companies to convince the Marshall Islands that imported wastes could be used to build up the land mass to ensure the islands would survive sea level rises due to global warming. While the firm which proposed this 'land reclamation project' claimed that no hazardous wastes would be involved, this could not be verified. Mislabelled waste has become a serious problem for developing countries as in nearly all cases they do not have the resources to ascertain the contents of every import container.”

Source: Clapp, Jennifer. "The toxic waste trade with less-industrialised countries: economic linkages and political alliances." Third World Quarterly 15.3 (1994): 505-518. Print.

When I first read Jennifer Clapp’s article, The toxic waste trade with less-industrialised countries: economic linkages and political alliances, her description of how countries disguise toxic waste as a means of exporting it to other nations absolutely shocked me. I mean, selling toxic waste as “radioactive milk” seems a little desperate, and certainly more suited to a spy novel than anything plausible in real-life international affairs! Trying to convince countries that buying toxic waste would help them to build up their land mass and survive global warming - how have we not already heard about this?!

I think that it’s remarkably unfortunate how little the general public knows about the international toxic waste trade. We drop off our old computers and our DVD players, assuming they will be handled according to protocol; when the sad reality is that they might not be. Any one of the computers rotting in a toxic waste dump near a rural village in a developing nation could have belonged to us, and we’d never know it. So, in a way, international toxic waste trade is a problem we’re all responsible for, no matter how indirectly. It’s our garbage, so it’s our responsibility to make sure that it is disposed of safely, and to hold our governments accountable.

I’d highly recommend that you watch the two youtube videos!

A BBC Article:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6187358.stm

These two videos both show how toxic waste is disguised and trafficked:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJ8nL2RBF4E

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWEGhdBLm8E

Endangered Products

Delegates!

It's short, it's not too detailed, and it's got a bit of a different focus, but, all the same, here's an article for your enjoyment, showing one of the effects of climate change on marine life (from a hungry person's view, it seems):
http://www.foreignpolicy.com/story/cms.php?story_id=3762

You'll want to scroll down to the bottom, unless you also happen to be interested in the imminent extinction of DVDs and plastic shopping bags. Anyway, why am I posting this? I want to draw your attention (as briefly as it's mentioned in this article) to the key areas of "alternatives" and "the future". Read what the author has to say, and, in your preparation, see if you can't find other similar (or not-so-similar, preferably, especially ones with more to do about climate change matters) possible solutions and roads. This will be critical in your debate for the formation of resolutions. Which reminds me, I've really got to get on posting a good example of a resolution for all y'all's. Until then, however, you can amuse yourselves by reading the rest of the above article (the part about light bulb's not too bad).

Climate Change Conference... And?

Delegates!

If I'm not mistaken (and I'm not; I just checked the news services to make sure), this fine November day heralded in the beginning of the UN Climate Change Talks in Barcelona. I'll admit that I'm not entirely sure what topics are on the agenda, but whether "Climate change and its effects on marine life" is on there or not, I advise you to follow the proceedings. At the very least, you'll learn about the (no doubt frustrating) process of conducting climate talks on the international stage.

Now, delegates, I hope this doesn't come off wrong, but I can't help but wonder: what is this all going to lead to? Will there be serious progress made in the dialogue of how to manage climate change problems, or will this all get bogged down in politics, misunderstanding, and, of course, money? Maybe I'm foolish to even think there's some sort of boundary line in there at all. But I just don't want to see the delegates convene this conference with high hopes, and then walk away after, not having reached any agreement. (At least they'll have another chance in "Round 2" in Copenhagen, come December.)

Speaking of not reaching agreements, member states of the EU were holding their own talks this week, in Brussels, all in preparation for the momentous event we've now come to. No doubt about it: that conference was all about the moola. Specifically, the topic of interest was that of aiding poorer countries in their green efforts. You know, when I at first was reading about this, I was wondering if any clear and direct proposals for solving (slowing?) our climate change problems were really getting put forward at all, but the more I thought about it all, the more I came to think that the EU was on the right track: by trying to determine just how much money this is all going to take and hammering out some concrete plans for allocation of funds, Europe is showing its dedication to finding a solution. There were some hard estimates floating around: one figure heard was that up to 150 billion euros will be required over the next decade or so for European countries to handle proposed massive undertakings. Unfortunately, what with various states pushing for exemptions, special amendments, and political 'issues', the EU member states came away after, not having decided an awful lot, except that they were going to leave this one to the "legal and technical experts". Hm. Okay.

I have hope for the talks currently going on in Spain. Already, we've seen (or at least, Associated Press tells me) a giant push for concrete commitments. China`s been lauded for specific measures it`s taken. The US is being pushed to commit to some definite actions and stick to it (somehow getting it all rubber-stamped by Congress). And as all we united nations work through this task of updating and replacing the 1997 Kyoto agreements, I think we`ll see some much-needed progress, if maybe only a little. But we`ll stay tuned.

For your reading pleasure...

Delegates!

As I have been doing my own research on one of this year`s debate topics, long-range impacts of climate change on marine life and how they can be prevented, I have quickly realised that this is a BIG topic! There are many, many facets to this issue and a multitude of directions in which you`ll be able to take this issue. At February`s conference, grappling with this concern will not be an easy one. You`ll need facts. You`ll need diplomacy. You`ll need creativity. You`ll need to be able to see the big picture and the most urgent needs amidst the ocean (that was a purely accidental methaphor, I promise) of arguments and details in which you`ll be swimming. But we have great faith in you.

Sometimes it helps to start from the bottom and (somehow) work your way up. Often, there`s nothing like a good statistic to drive your point home; in your preparation, gather case studies and debate-prompting questions. Consider the following articles, presenting specific information about the effects of climate change on marine life.
Little Creatures, Big Blooms:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/02/070215181401.htm
Climate Change Effects on Marine Ecosystems:
http://www.csiro.au/resources/ps2yd.html
Acid Oceans Altering Marine Life:
http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=46055

These articles provide you with a lot of details and faces of the debate topic. Of course, we can`t stop there! What is the real impact of this information? What needs to be done, and are we willing to do it? One of the biggest (and, in my opinion, most thrilling) challenges you face is to become familiar with your state`s foreign policy, and then determine a more-or-less comprehensive position for effective debate and caucusing.

Speaking of foreign policy, I`ve finally gotten around to creating a resource for all y`alls that I`ve been thinking of for some time. I`ve created a site (officially my own private project) that I hope will, in its later stages, help you to research your home government`s position on international affairs. Give it a look by clicking `site` above.

P.S. I notice some links, provided by Google, appear in a sidebar to the right a little further down the page. Through the magic of the inter-web, they relate to things posted on this blog. I notice some article there that you might want to check out...

Welcome!

Delegates!

Welcome to another exiciting year of HSMUN! Conference staff are already at working planning, researching, and creating, all in anticipation of February's conference which promises to be nothing less than monumental.

The topics of debate for the Environmental Programme in this years conference are:
1. Long-range impacts of climate change on marine life and how they can be prevented; and,
2. Regulations and restrictions surrounding the handling of toxic and biohazardous wastes.

Dais staff are currently in the process of writing and editing background papers to aid delagates in their preparation; these will be available in November. In the meantime, we encourage all to keep abreast of the latest developments, particularly in the environmental sphere. Read those newspapers! Surf that Globalpolicy.org site! We'll keep you updated all the way until February!

Last Minute Links!!

In addition to the link in the last post, here are a couple of other websites that you should definitely check out!

1) The UNEP website, if you haven't found it already. There's lots of information on carbon emissions / climate change in particular (click on 'climate change' and go from there)
http://www.unep.org/

2) The UN's Water for Life Decade page - a great resource for all things to do with water! There's background info on water usage, as well as detailed info on many water issues (use the sidebar on the left).
http://www.un.org/waterforlifedecade/index.html

3) For some quick statistics on your country's water usage, you can try
http://www.worldwater.org/data19981999/table2.html

4) If you're really ambitious, (or you can't fall asleep tonight), you can take a look at a UNESCO report on ' Sharing Water'. It's full of great suggestions and information, but it is a bit of a longer resource (if you scroll all the way down to the bottom there are also a bunch of recommended links to check out.)
http://www.unesco.org/water/wwap/wwdr/wwdr2/pdf/wwdr2_ch_11.pdf

Good Luck! See you tomorrow morning!

GREAT RESOURCE if you need last minute research!

Hey guys!

So I doubt anyone will check this but for you keeners who do....

THIS is a great website! Click on your country profile and some will have links that say "freshwater" and then a report will pop up that tells you your country's stance and what programs they are implementing and what treaties they have ratified!

Enjoy!

http://www.un.org/esa/dsd/dsd_aofw_ni/ni_index.shtml

Water Pricing

A brief article on water pricing from a University of Alberta professor.
Water pricing is much more likely to lead to better use of water resources than might some "strict, binding and enforceable regulations designed to limit the use and abuse of our water supply." It is misguided to think that government has the knowledge or the ability to decide on what sectors "deserve" to use water. - Joseph Doucet

Ponzan Climate Change Conference

The United Nations Climate Change Conference wrapped up in Ponzan, Poland last month. The high profile conference is part of an on going international movement to create a replacement to the defunct Kyoto Protocol Treaty. For delegates debating the creation of a framework to curb global emissions, the United Nations Climate Change Conference website would be an invaluable tool.

UNEP Background Papers

United Nations Environmental Programme Background Papers are up:

• The Creation of a Sustainable Water Usage Framework Background Paper
• The Framework for Global Emissions Reductions Background Paper