NationStates Jolt Archive

Proposal Name: Global Oceanic Salinity Funding
"A resolution to increase the quality of the world's environment, at the expense of industry."

Category: Environmental
Industry Affected: All Businesses
Proposed by: Aligned Planets

Description:

Recognizing that the Northern Hemisphere's climate is supported by heat carried in oceanic currents known as the Ocean Conveyor (ie North Atlantic Drift)

Taking into account the fact that, with average global temperatures on the rise, the polar ice caps are beginning to melt, allowing vast quantities of fresh water to enter the oceans surrounding the poles

Convinced that with the advent of such a large quantity of fresh water entering the Ocean Conveyor - which relies on the distribution of denser, saltier waters carrying heat from the sun around the world - it is highly probable that the Conveyor could shut down within a matter of a decade

Affirming that with the shutdown of the Ocean Conveyor, global temperatures will drop by 5-10 degrees Fahrenheit, precipitating a new Ice Age across certain parts of the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, causing widespread drought even in inland areas and flooding in coastal regions.

Requests that the member Nations of the UN ratify the following objectives:

1) A UN Oceanographic survey be established to assess the immediate danger of further ice sheet collapse

2) Funding totalling 0.025% of the annual budget of each member nation be diverted to the UNOS (United Nations Oceanographic Survey) for an indefinate period of time

3) A series of buoys be established and maintained by the UN in the hopes of monitoring global sea pattern changes, including but not exclusive to temperature, salinity, wave speed, precipitation

4) Once funding has been secured, that long-term plans be drafted to attend to the potential environmental disaster, including but not exclusive to large scale evacuation of hazardous areas, improved flood defences, improved energy-efficient (heat efficient) homes, possible reduction of greenhouse gas emission

The Federation of Aligned Planets Urges member nations of the UN to take account of this proposal and ratify it to ensure that all action required is taken to ensure that we understand more of the potential risks to our biosphere.

Thank you

I will potentially be submitting this resolution on Sunday night - pending the opinions of UN member states.

Do any UN member states have an opinion?

Recognizing that the Northern Hemisphere's climate is supported by heat carried in oceanic currents known as the Ocean Conveyor (ie North Atlantic Drift)
Sorry, you've once again assumed that the world(s) of NationStates conform to the same geographical patterns as this other world you keep bringing into the picture.

Let me ask you this: if the continents are shaped differently, say perhaps as an enormous aggregation of archipeligos, are the ocean currents likely to mirror those of your imaginary (real) world? In a world where fleets of helicopters rotinely deliver nations into entirely new geographic zones, does your model hold up?

Yes, in a game that featured a model UN with a world that mirrored this one you keep mentioning (it has a single Pacific ocean, for instance - not the five major and dozens of minor Pacifics we have), this would be a worthy proposal. In this world, it's not.

What's an environment? :rolleyes:

Besides the assumptions of real world physics ... is the idea that the Oceans of NationStates should be studied and by an international agency something nations like?

I know ... not all nations live on one planet, but there is no reason that *all* oceans can't be studied.

I know ... not all nations live on one planet, but there is no reason that *all* oceans can't be studied.

Except if the nations in question lack the resources, or in several cases inclinations, to do so.

Except if the nations in question lack the resources, or in several cases inclinations, to do so.

Please keep in mind the proposal as written leaves most of the work to a new UN committee:


1) A UN Oceanographic survey be established to assess the immediate danger of further ice sheet collapse

2) Funding totalling 0.025% of the annual budget of each member nation be diverted to the UNOS (United Nations Oceanographic Survey) for an indefinate period of time

3) A series of buoys be established and maintained by the UN in the hopes of monitoring global sea pattern changes, including but not exclusive to temperature, salinity, wave speed, precipitation

The resources aren't based on the task for each ocean, but rather on a portion of their budget (highlighted in blue). In the *gasp* real world this would be like establishing a WMO (World Meterological Organization) or maybe an IMO (Internationa Maritime Organization). The work of studying oceans could take life times, but the last clause shows an interest in developing long-term information and disaster plans.

I think there is some insight here that my nation feels has enough merit to investigate further. My concern is more the 0.025%. I've no real concept for how large that figure might or might not be.

So can we count your outer space nation as being in favour or opposed to the idea of studying oceans?

Please keep in mind the proposal as written leaves most of the work to a new UN committee:

I still have to ferry them to my planets, protect them from the dangerous locals and wildlife, and try to discourage the bigger fish from eating the buoys. A digested scientific device doesn't exactly give accurate readings. However, I'm probably unique in having all of those dangers at once, so it may not be valid.

The resources aren't based on the task for each ocean, but rather on a portion of their budget (highlighted in blue). In the *gasp* real world this would be like establishing a WMO (World Meterological Organization) or maybe an IMO (Internationa Maritime Organization). The work of studying oceans could take life times, but the last clause shows an interest in developing long-term information and disaster plans.

28.6 Centuries, give or take 500 years. That's if you count all planets with Earth. Without, a max of two centuries.

I agree with it, but I disagree with the idea of expanding it to other planets. The resulting resource requirements alone are immense.

I think there is some insight here that my nation feels has enough merit to investigate further. My concern is more the 0.025%. I've no real concept for how large that figure might or might not be.

Not that big. Most governments will easily cover it with the amount they waste.

The problem is the resulting amount is too much for Earth but not enough if you include every planet with oceans in the UN. The resulting amount of water alone would put out a red giant with just the planets I know of.

So can we count your outer space nation as being in favour or opposed to the idea of studying oceans?

No. I'm in favor. But either limit it to Earth or raise the amount nations have to donate.

But either limit it to Earth or raise the amount nations have to donate.
Raise the amount? It's already too high, by a factor of perhaps 1000.

Check out the following research from the UN Funding (http://forums2.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=349725) topic some time ago for some actual numbers as a perentage of nation GDP:

http://forums2.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=6859303&postcount=75
http://forums2.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=6859303&postcount=141

Or better, here's the actual chart I made featuring sample percentages of GDP for UN dues, budgeted to run ALL UN internal and external bodies:

http://home.nc.rr.com/ezjtb/images/UNFunding.gif

Multiply even the lowest by the 37,000+ member nations, and you'll see that it's a staggering sum. Waaaaay too much money for one project. Serious pork-barrel.

Raise the amount? It's already too high, by a factor of perhaps 1000.

The problem is the resulting amount is too much for Earth but not enough if you include every planet with oceans in the UN.

Check out the following research from the UN Funding (http://forums2.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=349725) topic some time ago for some actual numbers as a perentage of nation GDP:

http://forums2.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=6859303&postcount=75
http://forums2.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=6859303&postcount=141

Or better, here's the actual chart I made featuring sample percentages of GDP for UN dues, budgeted to run ALL UN internal and external bodies:

http://home.nc.rr.com/ezjtb/images/UNFunding.gif

Multiply even the lowest by the 37,000+ member nations, and you'll see that it's a staggering sum. Waaaaay too much money for one project. Serious pork-barrel.

Not that big. Most governments will easily cover it with the amount they waste.

The problem is the resulting amount is too much for Earth but not enough if you include every planet with oceans in the UN. The resulting amount of water alone would put out a red giant with just the planets I know of.

In other words, no arguement. But thanks for the evidence. Now I don't have to look it up myself.

The UN is responsible for ALL the Earths, not just Earth II, or Earth V, or whatever...so I was assuming that UNOS would be established across the entirety of all Earths so that it would be able to affect all Nations.

The amount of funding is, of course, negotiable - I'd welcome any suggestions here

And yes, the work would be entirely run by the UNOS - the only contribution Nations would make is the funding per year...there is no need to worry about the logistics of ferrying UNOS scientists around, as the costs for this would be taken out of the funding. The UN would retain full responsibility for this organisation and therefore one Nation would not be 'in control'.

Funding should be addressed with "funding sufficient to...".

More later, after coffee.

The UN is responsible for ALL the Earths, not just Earth II, or Earth V, or whatever...so I was assuming that UNOS would be established across the entirety of all Earths so that it would be able to affect all Nations.

That was the assumption I had with my post. You didn't specify one, so...

I do like the idea, but I think the research topics mentioned in clause 1 of the proposal should also include deepening our knowledge of the factors which affect ocean currents, and the mechanisms by which ocean currents affect climate. We should attempt to know as much as possible about the possible risks, not just assume that the only concern should be monitoring ice sheets melting.