[GA - In Queue] World Environmental Treaty

World Environmental Treaty
Proposed by: Bisofeyri World Assembly Mission, Co-authored by: The Ankhalic Vaspriot | Onsite Topic​

The World Assembly,

Recognizing that issues of transboundary nature, of which environmental degradation is among the most consequential, are a salient concern for this Body to address, as no member state alone can fully address damages arising therefrom, and

Convinced that the long-term sustainability of shared ecosystems and the pursuit of economic development are inalienable rights of this Assembly’s members best considered as complementary, not competing, objectives to be navigated according to each member’s individual circumstances and capabilities, and

Noting that, following the annihilation of the body previously occupying this space, no extant WA entity serves to coordinate endeavors of environmental concern nor facilitate the international exchange of environmental information, hereby enacts as follows:

1. The World Assembly establishes the following guiding principles, in the hope that they will be respected and upheld by all members:
   1. Pursuant to international law, each member has the right to exploit the resources within their jurisdiction and the responsibility to ensure that such exploitation does not cause undue environmental harm to the jurisdiction of other members without their consent;
   2. Where there is a risk for significant or long-term environmental damage from state action or inaction, uncertainty of the possibility of such damage should not preclude reasonable efforts to prevent environmental damage;
   3. In cases where a member causes undue or preventable transboundary environmental harm to a neighboring member’s jurisdiction, the member responsible is also responsible for the cost of the infringement, accounting for feasibility, public interest, international trade, and other circumstantial considerations;
   4. When undertaking environmental initiatives, members ought to endeavor to equitably consider the needs of the current generation and future generations;
   5. Due to the varying circumstances, needs, and capabilities of members, each individual member has different and corresponding responsibilities to prevent and mitigate global environmental degradation;
   6. Individuals in members are entitled to be made aware of environmental proceedings which may reasonably affect them, including but not limited to health, safety, and quality of life risks from environmental degradation of any scale;
   7. Member-driven exploitation of the environment ought to be undertaken in a manner that maintains the long-term ecological viability of its components and does not cause significant degradation to adjacent, dependent, or intertwined ecosystems; and
   8. Members and their people ought to work together in good faith on environmental initiatives, especially where transboundary implications are entailed.
   
   
2. The Environmental Coordination Office (ECO) is hereby founded to aid members in their pursuit of environmental endeavors and response to environmental events. ECO shall be bound by the following duties and obligations, but shall not have the ability to compel a member into action or inaction unless further empowered by future resolutions:
   1. Regularly monitor global environmental markers, including but not limited to greenhouse gas emissions, ambient air quality, freshwater availability, and global biodiversity, and shall provide these measurements free of charge to all member governments;
   2. Coordinate with member governments on national and subnational environmental monitoring endeavors, striving to standardize environmental data measurement and reporting guidelines;
   3. Provide reasonable technical and logistical assistance to member governments suffering environmental damages or working on environmental projects upon request;
   4. Facilitate the exchange of pertinent information between members who may otherwise have difficulty exchanging such information, for example due to diplomatic tensions;
3. Upon becoming aware of an event within their jurisdiction that poses a credible risk of significant transboundary environmental harm, such as the large-scale release of pollutants, acute ecosystem collapse, or hazardous contamination of waterways or airsheds, members will notify ECO and any other potentially affected parties under World Assembly jurisdiction as soon as possible.
4. Any body established by future World Assembly legislation to address environmental matters should, unless that legislation specifies otherwise, either operate as a subsidiary body under ECO's administrative coordination or maintain a formally coordinated relationship with ECO, and shall work to ensure coherence among World Assembly environmental policy and the principles established herein.

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