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!