United Nations Environmental Programme:

Environmental Damage in Oceania

Oceania has faced significant sustainability and environmental challenges for tens of years, largely due to deforestation, greenhouse gas emissions, and pollution. Additionally, rising sea levels serve as a critical threat, especially to low-lying island nations like Tuvalu, resulting in major loss of land and mass displacement. Coral reefs, vital for marine biodiversity and coastal protection, are deteriorating due to ocean warming and acidification. These individual threats all culminate in the main flaw looming over Oceania – climate change and the detrimental effect it can have on the environment. The other contributing topic to these issues revolves around specific human interactions with nature. For example, overfishing has severely impacted marine ecosystems, while deforestation, especially in nations like Papua New Guinea, threatens biodiversity and contributes to carbon emissions. These environmental issues have led to events like mass coral bleaching, loss of agricultural land, and increased frequency of extreme weather events like cyclones and droughts that require immediate action in order to help preserve the future of the ecosystem of all of Oceania.

Background Guide

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  • Dylan Stefko

    Chair

  • Hanson Voegborlo

    Co-Chair

  • Jake Berg

    Co-Chair

Committee

Topics