lebioblog

En partenariat avec le projet MUN du lycée de Ferney, avec la participation de Georges KONIECZNY.

COMMITTEE : Environment (ILO 6)

ISSUE : How can States facing extreme weather events better protect rescue workers?

CHAIRS : Filip DROZD, Nolan Charles-Emmanuel GIUGNI and Léna QUEGUINER

Climate change: Climate change refers to fluctuating temperatures and the questioning of current weather patterns. Since 1800, humans have been at the origin of this problem. This is due to the burning of fossil fuels, which creates a diffusion of greenhouse gasses.

Global warming: Global warming is the increase in the Earth's temperature due to rising emissions of greenhouse gas.

Oceanic heat wave: An ocean heat wave is characterized by a short-term rise in ocean temperatures. It's like a heat wave on land, but in the water. The phenomenon has been observed since 1970, but according to the United Nations, most of it took place between 2006 and 2015, with a consequent impact on corals, which are gradually losing their color. According to the United Nations, the IPCC has found that humans are primarily responsible.

IPCC: WMO (World Meteorological Organization) and UN Environment founded the IPCC, which stands for Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

1. Extreme weather events: explanation and example

There are many types of extreme weather events, each with its own particularities, but they all have one thing in common: their destructive nature. The duration of these events can be more or less long, more or less damaging to humans and the environment. These events include floods, forest fires, cyclones, hurricanes, heat waves, extreme precipitation and many more.

2. The triggering factor and the increase in these events.

Simply put, extreme weather events are linked to climate change. To understand this in more detail, you need a good understanding of global warming. Both the WMO and the IPCC have published reports on this. Firstly, the WMO published a report called, state of the global climate 2023 which demonstrates that both land and water territories have warmed. In their report, they stated that of the various annual temperatures that have been recorded, the years 2015 to 2023 have been the warmest. In addition, the WMO has been recording ocean temperatures for 65 years, and 2023 was the year in which the oceans reached a record temperature. This subject has also been studied by Group 1 (the group that works on the scientific aspect of climate change) of the IPCC, which published a report in August 2021. The IPCC report is extremely interesting, as it highlights the fact that mankind is the main cause of global warming. They state that the temperature of the northern 700 meters of the world's oceans (in depth) has risen since 1970, with human activity playing a major role. It is highly likely that this is due to an increase in the emissions of greenhouse gasses.

As global warming continues to increase, more and more dangerous weather events are occurring. The IPCC Group 1 report shows that these events are gradually multiplying, such as marine heat waves, which have doubled since 1980. Similarly, since 1950, the number and intensity of extreme precipitation events have increased, as have heat waves.

The correlation between global warming and extreme weather events can be clarified using the example of hurricanes. For a hurricane to form, the temperature of the ocean must exceed 26.5°C. As explained above, as the ocean gradually warms, the risk of hurricane formation increases. The graph on the left shows the increase in the number of hurricanes. From 1945 to 1981 there were 46 hurricanes, and from 1982 to 2018 there were 59. This represents an increase of 28.26%.

Les Echos also wrote an article on the subject based on a study carried out by Europe's leading climate research institutes. It states that 23 of the 26 extreme weather events that took place in 2023 are due to climate change, the source of which is mankind.

In short, extreme weather events are the result of climate change caused by human activities. These events are gradually multiplying, and they will continue to increase if we don't act quickly.

3. The danger for humans

These extreme weather events tend to be extremely deadly and dangerous for the people who fall victim to them. Take Cyclone Idai, for example, which hit Mozambique and Zimbabwe in 2019. According to Le Monde, this event resulted in almost 1,000 deaths and 2 million people affected. A second example is the flooding in the Philippines. According to an IOM article published on January 21 2014, flooding and landslides caused the deaths of 40 people. The graph below shows that storms and droughts were the two deadliest weather phenomena during the period 1970-2019.

Translation of the title: Human influence has warmed the climate at an unprecedented rate for at least 2000 years.

Source: page 10 of the IPCC report, Climate Change 2021: The Physical Science Basis, summary for decision-makers.

Translation of the title: Number of extreme hurricanes between 1945-1981 and 1982-2018

4. The danger for rescue workers

As we have seen above, extreme weather events tend to be extremely dangerous for the people who experience them. It is precisely for these reasons that rescue workers are indispensable. There are many different types of rescue workers, such as firefighters, lifeguards, emergency medical personnel, piste rescue workers and many more. In carrying out their duties, these people risk their lives. Take forest fires, for example. According to the ILO, during a forest fire, firefighters are exposed to smoke and a large number of other particles, with varying degrees of impact on their health. These consequences include risks to lung function and cardiovascular disease. Also according to the ILO, firefighters run health risks due to the equipment they use, such as fire-fighting foam, which contains harmful chemicals. One example is the death of a 24-year-old firefighter in Canada who, according to Le Parisien, was fighting flames during a raging forest fire when a tree fell on him. The risk of death for rescue workers also applies to other extreme weather events, such as flooding, where a 42-year-old firefighter died in Germany. According to Swissinfo, he was trying to rescue trapped people when their boat overturned and one of the 4 firefighters was unable to save himself. A final example is that of the ski rescuers who put their lives at risk every day by taking the risk of being swept away by an avalanche.

States have a fundamental obligation to protect and ensure the safety of rescue workers.

Translation of the title: number of deaths reported worldwide between 1970 and 2019 by type of weather event and World Bank country classification (total= 2,064,929) (WMO 2021)

Source: page 49 of the ILO report, Assurer la sécurité et la santé au travail à l'heure du changement climatique

08/12

December 8 is World Climate Day. Its aim is very simple: to remind everyone that it is essential to fight against the dangers of global warming.

04/11/2016

The Paris Agreement was adopted on December 12, 2015 and came into force on November 4, 2016. It is a treaty that has been signed by 196 countries. By signing this treaty countries commit to working together to limit temperature rises ideally below 2°C and to be in a state of carbon neutrality. This means finding a perfect balance so that their emissions are non-existent.

2005

The Kyoto Protocol came into force in 2005 and has been ratified by 55 countries. The aim of this agreement is to reduce GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions.

POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS

As explained in the global overview, extreme weather events have their origins in man-made global warming. To prevent these events from occurring, all countries need to work together to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. With global warming on the decline, there will be a significant reduction in the number of such events, which in turn means a significant reduction in the workload of rescue workers.

In addition, we need to continue developing early warning systems that warn people before extreme weather events occur, so that they can prepare and protect themselves. This will save many lives and reduce the workload of relief workers.

At the same time, we need to provide greater protection for rescue workers, with better-developed and more protective equipment. For example, we need to change the foam used in fire-fighting foam, which is harmful to firefighters' health.

Lastly, we need to provide better training in life-saving techniques, so as to limit our dependence on rescue workers and enable them to reduce their travel during extreme weather events such as heat waves or floods.

A solidarity fund is essential, as some countries are more affected by such events and all countries have different financial states.

Reflection track:

1. How is your country affected by climate change?

2. What is your country doing to limit its greenhouse gas emissions?

3. Is your country affected by extreme weather events?

4. What is your government doing to protect the population during such an event?

5. How many rescue workers die in the country you represent every year?

6. What is your country doing to protect rescue workers?

7. Does your country have the financial means to further protect these workers? If not, do you have any allies who could help?

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Definition:

• Definition of climate change and global warming.

• Definition of ocean heat waves.

• IPCC definition.

NGO:

• Oxfam France has written a web page called, ““les événements climatiques extrêmes: quand la planète s’emballe.”The web page provides a global understanding of extreme weather events.

• The French Red Cross has written a web page called,“événements climatiques extrêmes: sommes-nous prêts à l’inévitable? 10 propositions pour renforcer notre anticipation collective et notre préparation individuelle aux effets du changement climatique”. The website offers a wide range of solutions to help people be better prepared for extreme weather events.

Reports:

• WMO report named,“state of the global climate 2023”. The report explains the warming of land and water.

• ILO report named,“assurer la sécurité et la santé au travail à l'heure du changement climatique”.This report provides a clear picture of the dangers faced by workers and rescue workers (p.50) during extreme weather events.

• The IPCC Group 1 report named,“changement climatique 2021, les bases scientifiques physiques, résumé à l'intention des décideurs.” The report explains that humans have greatly influenced climate change, global warming and the increase in extreme weather events.

Videos:

• Video from Le Monde named, “understanding global warming in 4 minutes.” The video explains the greenhouse effect, man's impact on it, and the 4 consequences of this human influence.

• Lumni video entitled,“changement climatique: quelles conséquences?” This video explains the impact of climate change.

Press article:

• Press article from Les Echos entitled:“inondations, ouragans… : le réchauffement climatique amplifie les phénomènes météorologiques extrêmes.” In this article, they explain the link between climate change and extreme weather events, and how they know that these events are due to, or have been accentuated by climate change.

LIST OF COUNTRIES INVOLVED:

ILO list:

1. Germany

2. Saudi Arabia

3. Australia

4. Barbados

5. Brazil

6. China

7. Colombia

8. United States of America

9. Russian Federation

10. France

11. Guatemala

12. India

13. Indonesia

14. Italy

15. Mexico

16. Nigeria

17. Uganda

18. Pakistan

19. Romania

20. United Kingdom

Plus d'infos sur :

https://www.unige.ch/lejournal/evenements/a-la-une/arnm/

L'équipe du CDI vous a concocté un condensé de bonnes méthodes pour préparer votre épreuve du Grand Oral.

Cliquez sur l'image :

Par Lea Mongenot

English version :

#stopEACOP is the new environmental movement to stop one of the biggest projects of the company TotalEnergie, a pipeline to transport oil through Uganda and Tanzania. The issue is not the use of fossil fuels, but rather the destruction of ecosystems that the pipeline will cause.

To begin with, the 1,443km pipeline, will be heated, and is expected to create more than 6 billion barrels of oil per year, resulting in the emission of more than 34 million tons of CO2.

TotalEnergie's pipeline will cross East Africa through Uganda and Tanzania. This open cut project is the cheapest method for the company but will cause the most damage. The pipes will cut through 16 protected areas representing 2,000 km2 of disturbed and fragmented habitat.

The disaster for the ecosystems is immense: the creation of trenches to lay the pipes will have consequences for animals such as giraffes, zebras, buffaloes or even lions, and will lead to the direct destruction of their habitats. It will also affect birds and migratory animals such as elephants and chimpanzees.

In addition, marine ecosystems will also be threatened due to the high risk of oil spills caused by the fact that the Tanzanian coast is a tsunami and earthquake risk zone. The problem is that Lake Victoria is one of the sources of the Nile, so any leakage could have disastrous consequences such as poisoning the water resources of the region...

The problem is that not only will the ecology be impacted, but also 100,000 people will have to be displaced during the construction of the pipeline.

As noted, TotalEnergie will cause many ecological problems, but of course TotalEnergie defends itself by explaining that their oil project will produce 80,000 jobs, including 11,000 direct jobs, and also promises 2 billion in benefits for local businesses.

The pipeline is therefore a huge project that will bring a lot of profit to TotalEnergie, but will destroy a lot of the environment, which is why environmentalists are demonstrating and some people are suing TotalEnergie for its EACOP project.

Version française :

#stopEACOP, c'est le nouveau mouvement écologique pour stopper un des plus grands projets de l’entreprise TotalEnergie, un pipeline pour transporter du pétrole à travers l'Ouganda et la Tanzanie. Le problème n’est pas de favoriser l’utilisation d'énergies fossiles, mais plutôt la destruction des écosystèmes que va causer la création de ce pipeline.

Pour commencer, le pipeline qui mesurera 1443 km de tuyaux sera chauffé, il a pour but de créer plus de 6 milliard de barils de pétroles par an, ce qui entraînera une émission de plus de 34 millions de tonnes de CO2.

Le pipeline de TotalEnergie va traverser l'Afrique de l’Est passant par l'Ouganda et la Tanzanie. Ce projet de tranchée à ciel ouvert est la méthode la moins chère pour l’entreprise mais qui causera le plus de dégâts. Les tuyaux vont traverser 16 aires protégées ce qui représente 2000 km2 d’habitat perturbés et fragmentés.

Le désastre pour les écosystèmes est immense, la création de tranchées pour poser les tuyaux aura des conséquences pour les animaux comme les girafes, les zèbres, les buffles ou même les lions, ce sera la destruction directe de leurs habitats. Ainsi que pour les oiseaux et les animaux migrateurs avec par exemple les éléphants ou les chimpanzés.

De plus, les écosystèmes marins vont aussi être menacés à cause du grand risque de marée noire causée par le fait que les côtes tanzaniennes sont une zone à risque de tsunami et de séisme. Le problème est que le lac Victoria est une des sources du Nil, la moindre fuite pourrait donc avoir des conséquences désastreuses comme empoisonner les ressources en eau de la région...

Le problème est que non seulement l'écologie va être impactée, 100 000 personnes vont devoir être déplacées pendant la construction du pipeline.

Comme observé, TotalEnergie va causer de nombreux problèmes écologiques, mais évidemment TotalEnergie se défend en expliquant que leur projet pétrolier va produire 80 000 emplois dont 11 000 emplois directs, et promettent aussi 2 milliard de bénéfices pour les entreprises locales.

Le pipeline est donc un immense projet qui rapportera énormément de bénéfice à l’entreprise TotalEnergie, mais qui détruira beaucoup l'environnement, c'est pour ça que les écologistes manifestent et que certaines personnes poursuivent en justice l’entreprise TotalEnergie pour son projet EACOP.

Research Report, Ferney-Voltaire Model United Nations 2022

COMMITTEE : World health Organisation
ISSUE : How to ensure global and equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines?
CHAIRS : Emma Robinson & Emna TOUNSI

KEY WORDS

Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 : virus from the coronaviridae family, responsible for the
infectious respiratory disease called Covid-19, first identified in China in January 2020.

Vaccine : substance administered into the body - usually by injection - which aims to protect
against viruses by introducing killed or attenuated forms of infectious agents to stimulate the
body’s immune response and create the necessary antibodies to fight the real disease.
There are 3 main types of vaccines:
1) Live attenuated vaccines, which contain disease causing pathogens but deprived of
their infectious capacity, allowing a fairly effective protection against the targeted virus.
However, this type of vaccine is not recommended for pregnant women or people with a
weakened immune system;
2) Inactivated vaccines, which do not contain a live virus or bacterium but rather
fractions of the deactivated infectious agent. This is the most commonly used method for
vaccines;
3) Messenger RNA vaccines: this technique replicates the genetic code of the virus’
antibody protein so that, once inserted in the body, the latter can promote the
production of proteins and antigens allowing the immune system to quickly recognize
and destroy the virus.

Vaccination : strategy aiming to protect the population by using vaccines to fight serious
diseases. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, vaccination as a preventive measure was a highly
controversial issue.

GAVI, Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation : international organization created by
the WHO in January 2000 to address the issue of vaccination. It created the COVAX program in
April 2020 to promote the equitable distribution of COVID vaccines on a global scale.
Global and equitable access : Granting the right to benefit from something - in this case,
vaccines - at all levels, regional, national, or international, and regardless of the economic
situation, political context, or social status of individuals.

OVERVIEW

In November 2019, the first coronavirus cases appeared in the Chinese city of Wuhan.
Today, there are more than 240 million people who have contracted the disease, and the death
toll exceeds 4 million deaths, numbers that will continue to rise if the global community doesn't
intervene quickly to implement both short term and long-term solutions. While some countries
are already preparing to offer a third vaccination dose to their citizens, other countries have not
even started their vaccination strategies yet.
Covid-19 is a viral infection that affects all age groups, but manifests itself in various ways. A
patient can be asymptomatic, which means they’ve contracted the disease but without
manifesting any outward signs. The virus can also be perceived as only a mild sickness, such as a
simple cold or a temporary flu; and in the most serious cases, for patients presenting immunal
or respiratory deficiencies, the virus tends to exacerbate pre-existing medical conditions,
causing more severe respiratory disorders that can often prove to be fatal.

1) Vaccination policies, the only real solution?
The ease with which the virus spreads from one individual to another has led to
long-lasting and devastating social, economic and political impacts, prompting many countries
to adopt more or less radical preventive measures, such as quarantine, confinement, border
closures, curfews, etc. Although these measures help to slow down the spread of the disease,
serious economic and social consequences will continue to arise as long as the virus isn’t fully
eradicated. In order to do so, it is therefore important to implement long term solutions, and the
international community has turned to medical experts and pharmaceutical industries for help
and advice.
To date, no conventional chemical drug is able to fully cure or prevent the virus. Medication
such as paracetamol can help limit its unpleasant effects, but the only effective preventive
treatment against COVID-19 is vaccination: it allows individuals to protect themselves whilst
simultaneously reducing the virus’ chances of spreading to others. For this reason, governments
alongside private investors have encouraged and financed the development, purchase and
distribution of vaccines.

2) Main challenges and inequalities
As vaccine production increases, inequalities accumulate as well. As of May 2021, 75% of
all vaccine doses had been administered in only 10 countries. Higher income countries are not only able to produce the vaccines, but also purchase them quickly and distribute them to their
own populations without much difficulty. Pursuing national self-interests, some countries such
as India have even tried to block vaccine exports abroad. So even if lower income countries such
as some in Africa or Asia had sufficient funding to buy the necessary doses, they would still have
to deal with governmental measures restricting vaccine exportations abroad. Another major
problem is the transportation and storage of vaccines, which both require specialized and costly
infrastructures, such as adequate roads, adapted vehicles and freezers. Many countries are
currently unable to properly distribute vaccine doses to all their citizens, especially those living
in rural areas, and then provide the necessary preservation means for them. Finally, a shortage
of health care personnel to properly administer vaccines and a lack supporting medical and
technical equipment such as syringes or computers, is a serious hindrance as well.
In addition to these material and technical problems, the attitudes of certain governments and
individuals can be a major obstacle to immunisation. Certain political or other influential figures
contribute to the spread of misinformation regarding vaccines and discourage their fellow
citizens from getting vaccinated. In Tanzania, for example, the country’s Health Minister held a
press conference denying the vaccine’s positive results and instead promoted a vegetable
smoothie that was supposed to fight the virus. This refusal to recognize the importance of
vaccines and the tendency to condemn the entire vaccination process is slowing down the fight
against the pandemic.

3) A major global issue
Our highly globalized and interconnected world requires vaccination on a global scale for
vaccination measures to be truly successful. If only a few citizens of certain countries are
vaccinated, it will be difficult to keep borders open for travel or trade, both of which are essential
to the economic well-being of many countries.

"No one is safe from COVID-19 until the entire world is safe."
- Volkan Bozkır, President of the United Nations General Assembly

In partnership with the WHO, the NGO GAVI established the COVAX program, which to
date remains the only global initiative working with States and manufacturers alike to ensure
the availability of Covid vaccines worldwide. According to the latest data, COVAX has already
shipped more than 236 million doses to 139 program participants, and continues to build on
support from States and donor foundations to ensure equitable vaccine procurement and
distribution. But the platform still faces many challenges, such as vaccine export controls in
some countries, inaccessible locations, insufficient funding, and competition from States that
favor direct agreements with pharmaceutical companies instead of a more cooperative
approach.

RELEVANT UN TREATIES AND EVENTS

25/01/2008
Global Immunisation Strategy - World Health Assembly

This strategy aims to expand access to new vaccines whilst monitoring the population for
potential side effects. The Assembly stresses the importance of working with international
partners and donors to ensure the proper distribution of vaccines as well as setting an affordable
price for all countries, especially low-income countries. It also calls on the international
community to further research, development and regulatory measures in the field of vaccines,
particularly for developing countries.

21/02/2013
Global vaccine action plan 2011-2020 - WHO
In May 2012, the World Health Assembly and 194 countries came together to implement a
global vaccine action plan to reduce the number of deaths linked to curable or preventable
diseases. The plan is based on six principles, namely: Country ownership, Shared responsibility
and partnerships, Equity, Integration, Sustainability and Innovation. In practical terms,
immunisation is an important component of the right to health, so it is important that people
are informed about immunisation and that governments provide effective immunisation
services. For its implementation, it is necessary to ensure good organisation and financial
management.

26/02/2021
Resolution on equitable distribution of COVID-19 vaccines - UN Security Council
In February 2021, the Security Council gathered to address the issue of global immunisation.
Aware of the humanitarian conflicts and the varying degrees of inequality between countries, a
resolution was drafted and ratified to find solutions to obstacles that slow down the fight against
Covid-19. Specifically, it was proposed that no country should stockpile vaccines, but that all
vaccines produced should be available for immediate use; that all health systems should be
optimised; and that parties engaged in armed conflict should sign a ceasefire to facilitate the safe
transport and distribution of vaccines.

POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS
In order to ensure global, rapid and efficient vaccine production and distribution,
cooperation between States and international organisations must be promoted, on financial,
technical and material levels.

Favoring an adapted and efficient distribution
- Establish a collective management of vaccination policies to allow for a proportional
distribution of vaccines in relation to the number of a country’s inhabitants.
- Prioritize immunisation for essential medical personnel, as well as for people in poor
health or advanced in age.
- Take advantage of existing multilateral architecture, particularly COVAX, to strengthen
supply chains and expand global vaccine delivery capacity.
- Encourage partnerships with companies such as DHL, FedEx and UPS, which are well
equipped to meet cold chain transport requirements in a safe and timely manner.

Building trust and cooperation
- In order to counteract fake news and promote public confidence in vaccines, a possible
solution is to conduct awareness campaigns in schools, public places, on social media etc.
so that the population is fully aware of the health situation, the exact functioning of
vaccines, as well as the urgent need to get vaccinated.

Promote research, production and distribution
- Harmonise the fight against COVID-19 by pooling together the efforts of all laboratories
internationally to increase knowledge related to the virus and better anticipate future
pandemics.
- Ensure that outdated policies, such as those related to trade, taxation and customs, do
not slow down or prevent global distribution.
- Another possibility would be to adapt laws protecting the intellectual property of
vaccines: models of intellectual property exploitation based on sharing, rather than
control, can be encouraged, for example. Another possibility would be to amend patent
laws to protect the technology required for developing or producing the mRNA vaccine,
rather than the product itself (the vaccine).