Environment+Committee


 * GA 4: Environment Committee**
 * 1.[|The issue of conservation of biological diversity]**


 * DELEGATION: TURKEY**

Turkey is well informed that the 75 percents of global fisheries are now fished at or beyond capacity. Also, Turkey is also shocked that 80 percents of planet’s forest are gone. Turkey is one of the countries that singed the Convention on Biodiversity. Therefore, Turkey believes that steps should be taken to build adaptive capacity among key stakeholder groups to increase resilience of inland fisheries at local, national and regional scales. Secondly, each state should establish carbon credits system to mitigate the growth in concentrations of greenhouse gases. In other words, carbon credits are to provide a way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by giving them a monetary value. Finally, Turkey believes infrastructure projects that damage an ecosystem should set aside funds to restore a similar degraded ecosystem elsewhere in a country or community.
 * //Policy Statement//**

//**Clauses**//

1. __Urges__ each state to provide investments among key stakeholder groups to increase resilience of inland fishers at local, national and regional, that includes: a. Supporting local or community-based fishery management institutions to adopt ‘learning organizations’ that are able to respond change b. Providing information on projected environmental change and likely impacts on fisheries c. Engaging in processes that can design future investments in land and water management and mitigation of the negative impacts of such investments d. Providing access to appropriate literacy and technical training, or to improved micro-financial services (saving and insurance, as well a credit) 2. __Recommends__ states to Improve food security through ecosystem restoration by  a. Strengthening natural pest control, which includes restoration of field edges, crop diversity and wild crop relatives, forests and wetlands b. Improving and restoring soil fertility c. Supporting more diversified and resilient agricultural systems that provide critical ecosystem services as well as adequate food to meet local and consumer needs d. Improving irrigation systems and reducing evapo-transpiration in intercropping and green technology irrigation or rainfall capture systems

ZIMBABWE


 * 2.[|Equitable sharing of fresh water resources]**


 * DELEGATION: TURKEY**

Turkey believes that managing water resources wisely is a key to achieving the Millennium Development Goals. Not only that, Turkey is very concerned with regional dispute over water since some neighboring countries are not granted with equal access to water such as Palestine and Syria who has the largest internal refugee due to water scarcity. Therefore, Turkey strongly believes that each state should identify trade-off and synergies between water and other policy sectors in order to enhance policy impacts in all sectors and avoid some adverse effects on water. Moreover, the donor community should incorporate water into the broader frameworks of development aid and focus assistance on areas where it is need most-in sub-Saharan Africa, in Asia and Latin American slums and in states recovering from conflict. We might not have all the information we would like to have before acting, but we do know enough now to begin to take significant steps.
 * //Policy Statement://**

//**Clauses:**// 1. __Requests__ each state to make access to water as a human right and ensure its right by: a. Ensuring all people have access to at least 20 liters of clean water a day, b. Increasing public investment in the development of water resources for agriculture, c. Introducing subsidies to ensure that nobody is deprived of access to water because of poverty, d. Establishing monitor institution to regulate water utilities to improve efficiency, enhance equity and ensure accountability to the poor; 2. __Recommend__s states to make water an integral part of all planning and management decisions by: a. Ensuring accountability and transparency in planning and implementation, particularly through greater stakeholder participation, with the appropriate incentives and disincentives by a. Curbing corruption b. Promoting the role of civil society, non-government organizations and the private sectors c. Encouraging the citizen participation in decision-making at all levels b. Integrating gender-sensitive and equitable approaches in water issues c. Providing data and information to reduce uncertainty d. Securing financing for investment in physical and institutional water infrastructure, using a variety of financing instruments 3. __Encourages__ states to create space through social policies for education by: a. Providing of adequate sanitation in education facilities, particularly for girls b. Providing dirking water in or around schools c. Integrating education about health, water and sanitation, water in agriculture and environmental issues d. Removing or reducing school fees to use that free household income to pay for other services including food and water or agricultural inputs that could increase water productivity e. Promoting higher schooling achievement


 * 3.[|The management of biotechnology and its impacts on the environment]**


 * DELEGATION: TURKEY**

//**Main points to consider about the issue:**// · Aware difference types of biotechnology e.g. white (industrial), red (healthcare; medicines and vaccines) and green (agriculture and food production) · GMO simply means making changes that naturally do not occur · Environmental impact of a widespread GMO’s is difficult to measure · Examples: o Crops that are resistant to chemical herbicides damage the environment o GM Bt cotton contains a gene making it only resistant to the bollworm o The pollen of GMO’s come in contact with other plants, thus difficult to identify for consumers · Environmentalists advocate the use of sustainable agriculture based on ecological principles o Risks are as listed: antibiotic resistance, food allergy, toxic substances, the drift of pollen, threat of organic farming (genetic pollution), threat to biodiversity and food distribution (main root cause is un-equal distribution)

//**What the international community has already done to address this issue:**// · Established FAO, UN-Biotech and ISAAA to help its member states to use full potential of science and technology to improve agriculture and right to food. E.g. developed guidelines covering the safety of foods derived from GMOs · EU: A GMO may only be placed on the European markets when the effects on human beings and the environment are examine and there should mentions on products if GMO’s are used · The U.S. is actively involved in field of **white biotechnology**, but there is no specific legislation regarding biotechnology. Also, the U.S. tries to stimulate and accelerate the change of chemical processes into biotechnological processes in the industrial production through environmental legislation.

//**Your country’s point of view about this issue and reasons for this point of view:**// · Turkey just started biotechnology and received EU funds for biotechnology project in 2008. · Biotechnology is new in Turkey and tries to develop the technology sustainably. · Keep in mind that Turkey has long been a major producer of fresh, organic fruits and vegetables to Europe and the world.

//**Three solutions:**// · Focus on building a strong supportive environment through workforce, patents, commercial laws and supportive infrastructure. · Reduce the impact of pesticide, the demand for agricultural land and environmental pollution during processing of the harvest in order to reduce environmental burden of GMO’s · Promote agricultural practices that are beneficial to the environment


 * 4.[|The issue of conserving and protecting the coral reefs]**


 * DELEGATION: TURKEY**

//**Main points to consider about the issue:**// · The millions of marine species use reefs as habitats · Losing coral reefs means disastrous for almost 1 million marine species · Acts as the protection of coastal settlements in case of win-generated waves; hurricanes and tsunamis · We have lost 20 percents of all the reef population and along with the fact that 24 percents of them are still in danger · Threats o Overfishing § Harms the balance of marine life § Irresponsible fishing activities · Blast fishing, which includes the use of dynamites mainly to shock or kill marine creature via shock waves. · Cyanide fishing o Irresponsible Tourism o Pollution § Mainly caused by land-originated waters and runoffs of agricultural of industrial activities o Coral Mining o Eutrophication § Increased amount of nutrients from runoff leads to sudden and intensive growth of algae o Climate Change § Coral’s low rate of healing gets even lower § Rising temperature!!! § Coral bleaching //**What the international community has already done to address this issue:**// · Indonesia o The most damaged reefs o Lost more than half of its reefs in a period of 50 years o Creation of Coral Reef Rehabilitation and Management Program · Philippines o Suffers from the water pollution and negligent fishing o Not considered seriously · The United States o One of the main contributors to the Coral Triangle Regional Agreement o IRONY § Main importer in the coral trades for aquarium embellishment · International Society for Reef Studies o To promote the product ion and dissemination of scientific knowledge and understanding of coral reefs, both living and fossil · Reef Check o Has established first report on coral reef, “the Global Coral Reef Crisis – Trends and Solutions “ //**Your country’s point of view about this issue and reasons for this point of view:**// · According to my research, the Turkish government had not taken any specific steps regarding the protection of coral reef. · However, Turkey has singed the Convention on Biological Diversity, which includes the protection of coral reef · Turkey is also surrounded by sea and man tourists visit Mediterranean coast of its country, therefore there is no reason for Turkey not to protect endangered coral reef. //**Three solutions:**// · Asks for more financial and technical development assistance for the protection of coral reef ecosystems, · Recommends for future action, such as the need for meteorologists to be well informed about the potential impacts of weather and climate events on coastal and coral reef ecology, · Recommends that concise summary reports on the global carbon threats, together with the ongoing regional and local disturbances to the world’s coral reefs, be presented to policy makers and governments, · Further research and investment are needed to improve the ability to assess and predict the impacts on coral reef systems of climate change and associated extreme events,

//**Clauses:**// 1. __Recommends__ each state to further invest and research to enhance capabilities in coupled ocean atmosphere, costal and hydrological modeling, and numerical weather prediction by: a. Improving abilities to assess and predict the impacts on coral reef systems of extreme events associated with climate change, but not limited to impacts of climate change on: i. Climate divers such as the El Niño-Southern Oscillation, Madden-Julian Oscillation and Pacific Oscillation ii. Tele-connections with reef regions, increased river off, coastal circulation changes, fluctuating sediment loads, tropical legislation and wave regime changes.

Karim El Gohary - Zimbabwe Clause:

**__ 1- Urges __** the implementation of a NGO with the name of Coral Reef Conservation Committee (CRCC) funded by the IMF and UNESCO that will monitor all coral reefs (especially endangered ones) with governmental permission, the organization will: a- Monitor coral reefs and ensure their safety b- Request governments to enforce laws to help protect coral reefs in order to: i. Reduce chances of irresponsible tourism in order to avoid accidents that damage the corals. ii. Help put an end to overfishing in order to preserve useful animals in the coral reefs that share symbiotic relationships (mainly mutualism and commensalism) with the corals.