UN Vote on "Climate Refugee Commission"

Climate Refugee Commission

A resolution to increase the quality of the world's environment, at the expense of industry.


Category: Environmental


Industry Affected: All Businesses


Proposed by: ESAT

Description: THE UNITED NATIONS,

DEFINING a “climate refugee” as a person whose home has become uninhabitable due to permanent or indefinite climate changes, including but not limited to recurrent natural disasters, flooding, and long-term recorded changes in temperature of 2°C or more; or: as a person whose home is deemed likely, by the Climate Refugee Commission, to become uninhabitable within the next ten years;

URGING all member nations to do their utmost to lessen and prevent adverse human impacts on the climate;

RECOMMENDING that affected member nations call for aid from other nations, and allow national and international aid teams the maximum possible opportunities to distribute aid and access affected areas;

FURTHER URGING all member nations with significant areas of elevation or other means of refuge from lowland flooding to offer sanctuary to evacuees from vulnerable member nations;

HEREBY CREATES the Climate Refugee Commission (CRC), consisting of a panel of independent climate scientists and resettlement experts.

The CRC shall:

1. Immediately begin collecting data measuring the impact on climate change of industrial and other human activities within each nation. Within three years the CRC, using this data, shall establish what proportion of harmful impact is attributable to each nation. These figures are to be updated every three years.

2. Receive and rule on appeals from climate refugees who have been denied immigration to at least four countries.

3. At its discretion, require each nation to accept a number of climate refugees proportional to that nation’s adverse impact on the climate, as calculated by the CRC. Alternately, and with the CRC’s consent, a nation may choose to contribute a proportionally calculated sum of money, infrastructure and/or aid to other resettlement plans.

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• Who chooses the panelists of the CRC? Under the proposed guidelines, it seems that the CRC is just primed for being politicized.
• "2. Receive and rule on appeals from climate refugees who have been denied immigration to at least four countries." So the CRC is now a type of international court, with essentially the power to forcibly reverse-deport people? That's a bit strong, no?
• "Within three years the CRC, using this data, shall establish what proportion of harmful impact is attributable to each nation." This places sole blame on the polluting country. However, it can be argued that the country subject to the pollution should at least make an effort to counter such pollution effects through policy. Why help those who don't even try to help themselves?
• "3. At its discretion, require each nation to accept a number of climate refugees proportional to that nation’s adverse impact on the climate, as calculated by the CRC." This completely ignores how the most serious polluters are also the most populated ones. There's a reason why those countries have yet to upgrade out of coal-fired plants and whatnot, y'know. Forcing nations to accept refugees would simply exacerbate the problem. Let's not even get into the ethicality of dictating immigration policy for each nation.
• "Alternately, and with the CRC’s consent, a nation may choose to contribute a proportionally calculated sum of money, infrastructure and/or aid to other resettlement plans." All in all, way too much power placed into the hands of one organization.
• Finally, this bill only proposes a bandaid fix. Can we keep on shuffling people to different nations? Shouldn't there be some sort of incentive for environmental technological development and land reclamation projects? This bill attempts to use the stick, but any punishment should also come with a carrot as an incentive for change.

Votes For: 4,755

Votes Against: 5,104

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