Position Paper For Climate Change

Government of the
Republic of Cameroon
Committee: The United Nations Futuristic General Assembly
Coping With Rising Sea Levels, Submerging Cities and Acute Water Crisis
The delegate of Cameroon would like to clarify his stances on the ill effects of rising sea
level, submerging cities and acute water crisis. The rising sea level is affecting coastal
areas all over the world. It increases flooding, worsens hurricane damage, and leaches
saltwater into tidal areas. Greenhouse gases have the ability to trap some of the sun's
returning radiation from the earth. Direct evidence linking greenhouse gases with the
dramatic climatic changes comes from a study of bubbles of air trapped in the Antarctic
ice sheet. The warming of the earth will result in the melting of Alpine ice and thermal
expansion of sea water which will ultimately result in a sea level rise.
Water scarcity is the lack of sufficient available water resources to meet the demands
of water usage within a region.Water scarcity can mean scarcity in availability due to
physical shortage, or scarcity in access due to the failure of institutions to ensure a
regular supply or due to a lack of adequate infrastructure. Water scarcity already
affects every continent. Water use has been growing globally at more than twice the
rate of population increase in the last century, and an increasing number of regions are
reaching the limit at which water services can be sustainably delivered, especially in
arid regions.
Cameroon being a nation that advocates protection of every person on the Earth from
the acute water crisis and ill effect of rising sea levels, we express our concern over the
following points:
 THERMAL EXPANSION:- When water heats up, it expands. About half of the
sea-level rise over the past 25 years is attributable to warmer oceans simply
occupying more space.
 MELTING GLACIERS:- Large ice formations such as mountain glaciers
naturally melt a bit each summer. In the winter, snows, primarily
from evaporated seawater, are generally sufficient to balance out the melting.
Recently, though, persistently higher temperatures caused by global warming
have led to greater-than-average summer melting as well as diminished snowfall
due to later winters and earlier springs. That creates an imbalance between runoff
and ocean evaporation, causing sea levels to rise.
 LOSS OF GREENLAND AND ANTARCTICA’S ICE SHEETS:- As with
mountain glaciers, increased heat is causing the massive ice sheets that cover
Greenland and Antarctica to melt more quickly. Scientists also believe
that meltwater from above and seawater from below is seeping
beneath Greenland's ice sheets, effectively lubricating ice streams and causing
them to move more quickly into the sea. While melting in West Antarctica has
drawn considerable focus from scientists, especially with the 2017 break in the
Larsen C ice shelf, glaciers in East Antarctica are also showing signs of
destabilizing.
CONCLUSION
Cameroon believes that:
 Every climate refugee must be provided equal aid by the world government "The
United Nations".
 We should opt a classical defence systems by adopting the following steps:
1.Increase height of existing systems (sea walls, dikes, etc.);
2.For old systems that need to be replaced, build the new structures higher;
3.Design new defence systems so that they are more easily repaired, replaced, or
raised.
 CREATING FLOODPLAIN AREAS:- Create target areas for flooding, for this
purpose four large areas have already been identified in the estuarine area of the
Thames.
 REDUCING THE EMISSION OF CARBON FOOPRINTS AND
CHOLOROFLOROCARBONS which lead to melting of ice caps and thus lead to
rise in sea level resulting in the submergence of prominent cities of the world
Situation of the Acute Water Crisis
 DISAPPEARING WETLANDS:- About half of the world’s wetlands have been

destroyed since 1900. Some of the most productive habitats on the planet, wetlands
support high concentrations of animals—including mammals, birds, fish and
invertebrates—and serve as nurseries for many of these species. Wetlands also
support the cultivation of rice, a staple in the diet of half the world’s population.
And they provide a range of ecosystem services that benefit humanity, including
water filtration, storm protection, flood control and recreation.
 DAMAGED ECOSYSTEMS:- When water becomes scarce, natural landscapes
often lose out. The Aral Sea in central Asia was once the world’s fourth largest
freshwater lake. But in only three decades, the sea has lost an area the size of Lake
Michigan. It is now as salty as an ocean due to the excessive pollution and the
diversion of water for irrigation and power generation. As the sea has retracted, it
has left polluted land. This ecological catastrophe has created food shortages and
resulted in a rise in infant mortality and a decrease in life expectancy for the nearby
population.
 WATER SCARICITY will be exacerbated as rapidly growing urban areas place
heavy pressure on neighbouring water resources. Climate change and bio-energy
demands are also expected to amplify the already complex relationship between
world development and water demand.
CONCLUSION
 Almost every individual countries and regions need to urgently tackle the critical
problems presented by water stress. Water has to be treated as a scarce resource,
with a far stronger focus on managing demand. Integrated water resources
management provides a broad framework for governments to align water use
patterns with the needs and demands of different users, including the environment.
 PROMOTING WATER STEWARDSHIP, to benefit both people and nature, we
advocate for and support organizations to become responsible water stewards. At
the global level, we work on projects to establish an international water
stewardship standard through the Alliance for Water Stewardship. We also
support the use of water footprinting tools with the Water Footprint Network and
promote other international initiatives with the United Nations CEO Water
Mandate and the World Economic Forum. At the local level, we propose that the
UN should conduct projects that measure water use and river basin impacts and
demonstrate solutions for reducing these impacts.
 PROTECTING WETLANDS, The international treaty known as the Ramsar
Convention was established to protect wetlands around the world. Forty years later,
there are more than 2,000 wetlands designated as Wetlands of International
Importance. This means that the country where the wetland is located has
committed itself to protecting the site from development, pollution, and drainage.
About 75% of the sites added to the list since 1999 were included as a result of work
by WWF.
 ADAPTING TO CLIMATE CHANGE, Cameroon works to address institutional
challenges to managing water resources and protecting habitats before the worst
impacts of climate change occur. This work includes promoting climate change
adaptation in international conventions and supporting the preservation and
restoration of wetlands. We help conduct assessments of river basins’
vulnerabilities to climate change and integrate climate change considerations into
river basin management.
Submitted By:
Name: Arnav Singhal
Country: Republic of Cameroon
Committee: United Nations Futuristic General Assembly
Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Government of the
Republic of Cameroon

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Government of the

Committee: The United Nations Futuristic General Assembly

Cameroon believes that:

Situation of the Acute Water Crisis

 DISAPPEARING WETLANDS:- About half of the world’s wetlands have been

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

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