United Nations Ocean Conference of 2022, Lisbon
Chairs: Kaila Engle and Anna Thibodeau
Topic A- Combatting Plastic Pollution in the Oceans
Plastic pollution is a rampant issue affecting the Oceans and contributing to climate change. Nearly eight to 10 metric tons of plastic end up in the Ocean every year. Marine life can end up entangled in, ingesting, or choking on this plastic leading to suffocation, starvation, and drowning. Delegates must work together to come up with a comprehensive plan to reduce plastic pollution and preserve the natural clarity of the Oceans. Delegates will debate issues relating to climate change, the preservation of marine habitats, and pollution reduction initiatives that build upon previous global environmental programs while providing new and intuitive solutions.
Topic B- Accountability for Oil Pollution in the Oceans
Crude oil also lasts in the ocean for years and is very hard to clean up, yet there is still a large-scale oil spill around 1.3 times per year, and up to thousands of small-scale oil spills every year. Oil spills destroy the ecosystem by poisoning marine habitats and killing fish, birds, and other species. Oil companies skirt the financial and moral responsibility of cleaning up their own spills and need harsher regulations. This committee will bring together countries with large oil supplies and contributors to plastic pollution in order to address large corporations’ abilities to continue polluting the oceans with little repercussions. Delegates will discuss accountability for oil spills, the threat of fossil fuels to the climate, and debate solutions to protect the oceans from increasingly devastating oil spills.