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10th. e

dition

COMMISSION OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

CSD

Handbook

ChairwomanDanya F. Martínez San Nicolás

ModeratorFernanda Michua Gantus

Conference Officer

Jatzibe Yoatzin García Gutiérrez

Mariana Galván Coeto

2013TAEMUN

Escuela Tomás Alva Edison

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Dear delegates:

Due to the notorious environmental changes that the planet is already experiencing and the difficult economic situation that some countries currently suffer, the United Nations makes an urgent appeal to society and international community to “lay the foundations for a world of prosperity, peace and environmental sustainability “.

The Commission of Sustainable Development thanks you for your participation in this important summit and hopes the decisions most appropriate and convenient for each state as an individual, but also for the whole committee’s participants are taken. So now, we encourage you to discuss, propose and to express the views and prospects of your delegations.

Looking to strengthen political commitment for sustainable development and the answer to the new challenges emerging in society, we will discuss:

A. Implementation of new sustainable strategies for the correct use and consumption of natural resources.

B. B. Water management to preserve ocean resources

Reaching these topics resolutions proposed by the international agenda represents a great advance, clearly requires the cooperation of citizens, governments and public and private institutions to achieve the transformation and implementation.

The Commission of Sustainable Development thanks you for your enthusiasm and effort towards the debate to find arrangements best suited to the environment as to governments and the international community. This is the first step on a long road to wellness. Welcome, delegates!

Commission of Sustainable Development

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Topic B: Water management to preserve ocean resources

First we are going to start defining some concepts such as: water management and ocean resources.

Water management: Water management is the activity of planning, developing and distributing the water resources.

Ocean resources: Any source of energy, food, etc., that has its origin in the ocean, such as animals, algae, metals, petroleum and waves. The algae are source of proteins and vitamins. There are also good reserves of fossil fuels such as petroleum and natural gas. The ocean waves can also generate the electricity and can help with the transportation of goods.

 

 

The ocean is one of Earth’s most valuable natural resources, where many species live and form part of the life cycle. Oceans provide food in the form of fish, shellfish and minerals. In some countries the movement of the waves is used to produce energy, and many reserves of crude oil are under their water territories. Oceans are also a key element in removing carbon from the atmosphere and providing oxygen, due to its chemical properties. Keeping it clean avoids having polluting substances that would only enhance atmospheric pollution (as well as marine pollution). It is also the main way of transport of

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commodities for several countries.

Each country has very well defined their national waters; so many problems have been avoided. According to the Global Environment Facility, the three greatest threats to the world’s oceans are: pollution from land-based activities, over-exploitation of marine living resources, and the alteration or destruction of marine habitats. To avoid that these situations increase and continue each government is in charge to reduce these problem in its coasts, applying any national and international law, according to its internal politics.

Talking about marine transportation, most means are powered by combustion turbines or diesel engines; therefore, they pollute both water and air. However, it is not only the ships that pollute waters, but the industrial sector of economy, mostly the ones located in coastal areas (not to forget that several polluting industries are located near rivers, causing indirect pollution to the ocean by throwing their disposals to these). Many countries practice what is called “sustainable tourism”, which goal is to promote environmental conservation, this is call sustainable tourism, and according to the UNESCO it can be defined as: tourism that respects both local people and the traveler, cultural heritage and the environment.

Other ways of polluting and destroying environment is the overexploitation of local seafood, the destruction of habitats through careless fishing in forbidden seasons and places or capturing species in extension risk. Mining exploitation in the oceans is another serious problem, because in the latest decades it has become a source for metal searching. These types of explorations and carving have caused oil spill, polluting water damaging marine environment. But, there were not conflicts between countries due the invasion of water territory, as the constitution of the oceans delimit the marine territory of each country. (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, 2002). Security is necessary in international water boundaries with national ones, because if there’s lack of resources or pollution near national waters, then the nearby country will not have good and enough resources. For example, a clear situation is the one that currently Somalia is living, its oceans and coasts are from the most polluted in the world.

Europe presents a big problem known as Eutrophication, which is a process used to enrich water with nutrients, especially compounds of nitrogen (which is a long term pollutant) and/or phosphorus, leading to increased growth of marine resources, but in a long time it affects the oceans and all the flora and fauna that live there, because

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is like a poison. The Marine Directive of Europe asked the Members States to reduce the nitrogen and phosphorous loads in the marine environment, and thereby to reduce eutrophication. Additionally, the European Union (EU) has been taking steps towards the reduction of these gases in the environment, through the adoption of several initiatives of legislation. The European Union Coastal and Marine Policy provides the legal impetus to protect and clean up its coasts, seas and oceans, as part of an integrated strategy that will enable a stronger sustainability process. This year Europe has contributed with €134 million to marine projects and supported the implementation of the Marine Strategies. These projects involve the sharing of scientific knowledge to the institutions, governments and people to create consciousness about this situation.

On its part, Asia owns 34% of the world’s coral reef, and it also contains a marine pollution problem. The main pollutants are nitrogen and phosphates mainly produced by fertilizers. Also it was found that almost 90% of Asian wastes are dropped to the ocean affecting all marine species in the area, spreading them all around the world by sea currents. According to the BBC News, the coral reefs in Asia are also suffering big damages due to overfishing, marine-based pollution, coastal development, and pollution and sedimentation from inland sources. These factors are not only affecting marine but also human life, creating consequences such as the Minamata disease, produced by methyl mercury in contaminated seafood, which has caused 1,784 deaths since 1953 until today. This disease is a neurological syndrome that can cause ataxia, numbness in the hands and feet, general muscle weakness, narrowing of the field of vision and damage to hearing and speech and in extreme cases it can cause insanity, paralysis and coma.

Some countries, like India, have implemented different programs about marine waste management. The one which is now taken into action is the Coastal Area Monitoring and Prediction System (since 1990), and The Integrated Coastal and Marine Area Management Program (ICMAM), with two purposes: to develop infrastructure for research and the development of models for coastal and marine management.

This situation is also present in Africa. This is why “The Natures Conservancy”, an organization responsible of biodiversity and natural media preservation, has joined African governments, communities and other conservation groups to look for major coral reefs and fishing areas, trying to benefit communities whose resources are

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being depleted and protect in critical spawning grounds. Africa with these help Yakaar Africa and UN’s help is trying to give a correct preservation to its beaches, seas and oceans (mainly with the objective of freeing them from garbage and toxic wastes). It is also trying to create consciousness between citizens and governments, which is a very difficult task to achieve because of the political situation that Africa lives. This refers to the situation in which most of Africa countries do not have a define government, there is many corruption, bad a low live quality, diseases and the countries’ inside problems such as rebel groups, arms trafficking, etc.

On the other side of the world, America is trying to collaborate and accelerate the progress of achieving the common goal of “healthy oceans for prosperity”. That means that it is important to look for the deteriorating health and productivity of the oceans and give solutions for these problems. The oceans are suffering directly from activities that take place in land, which cause agricultural run-off, sewage, and litter to end up in oceans daily, and there is so much trash in the ocean that the people created garbage vortexes where all the trash heads to. Damage to the oceans is damage to the livelihoods and nourishment. A very important treaty that was signed in 1973 and that entered in forced in 1994 is “A Constitution for the oceans” where some points that were treated are: navigation rights, peace and security in the oceans and seas, the conservation and management of living marine resources, the protection and preservation of the marine environment and more.

Some solutions that should be empowered, and based on the main threats to the world’s oceans, are to reduce overfishing and the elimination of destructive fishing practices, more sustainable management of coastal areas, and many other activities. Another solution is to protect, recover and preserve the ocean environment and natural resources oceans and their services fully restore food production supply and livelihoods. People need to meet environmental and safety standards internationally agreed, and governance systems to support integrated management of fisheries and aquaculture, which is sustainable and ecosystem-based. The Constitution for Oceans nowadays has brought good consequences; also there are more Resolutions in favor of the oceans such as: The Sea Rights which was establish in UN’s Convention for the sea rights in 2005.

Water management consists not only of stopping over extraction of resources and pollution from the industrial sector. The lack of a sustainable management that can give a frame for future actions is

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what is needed as a solution for the wide range of problems that arise with the incorrect governance and management of the oceans. Several solutions have been taken, and yet, the problem is still creating conflict inside and between nations, for which an urgent and viable resolution is needed.

Guide Questions What can you understand water management and ocean resources?

What is your country doing to preserve the ocean resources?

How your country does use the ocean resources?

How can your country benefit from a good international conjunct management of marine resources?

Can your country provide aid in some way to a better management in other countries?

References CIA (2012) “United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea”. Selected

international environmental agreements. Recovered 02/11/2012 from https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/appendix/appendix-c.html#top

European Commission (2012) “Eutrophication” Environment. Recovered 02/11/2012 from http://ec.europa.eu/environment/marine/good-environmental-status/descriptor-5/index_en.htm

http://www.un.org/Depts/los/ocean_compact/SGs%20OCEAN%20COMPACT%202012-SP-low%20res.pdf

http://www.unep.org/rio20/About/SustainableConsumptionandProduc tion/tabid/102187/Default.aspx

Marine Conservation (2012) “Ocean Resources”. Marine Conservation. Recovered 02/11/2012 from http://marinebio.org/oceans/ocean-resources.asp

N/A (2010) “Ocean Resources conservation and management” Recovered 03/11/2012 from http://www.ecosensorium.org/2010/03/ocean-resources-conservation-and.html

United Nations (2012) “Océanos sanos para la prosperidad”. Pacto de los océanos. Recovered 03/11/2012 from http://www.un.org/Depts/los/ocean_compact/SGs%20OCEAN%20COMPACT%202012-SP-low%20res.pdf

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United Nations (2012) “Océanos sanos para la prosperidad”. Pacto de los océanos. Recovered 03/11/2012 from http://www.un.org/spanish/Depts/los/

UNEP (20 - 22 June 2012) “Sustainable Consumption and Production”. Rio +20. Recovered 03/11/2012 from http://www.uncsd2012.org/meetings_sidevents.html

Unidas, N. (July 2012). Pacto de los océanos PDF. Recuperado el 1 de Octubre de 2012, de Océanos sanos para la prosperidad: http://www.un.org/Depts/los/ocean_compact/SGs%20OCEAN%20COMPACT%202012-SP-low%20res.pdf

BBC News (2002) “China’s ocean pollution worsens” Recovered 03/11/2012 from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/1901649.stm