KNOWLEDGE | Issue 1 | Lausanne 2017

Page 1


CONTENTS

WELCOME

03

JOURNALISTS

05

URBAN DEVELOPMENT

07

CULTURAL DIVERCITIES

09

URBAN AGRICULTURE IN BASEL

13

THE REAL ESTATE OF AFFAIRS

17

SMART MOVE

19

TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION

21

DIGITAL TO SOCIAL EXCLUSION

23

1


25

HOW ROBOTS WILL CHANGE THE WORLD

29

SOCIAL MEDIA IS CHANGING HOW WE COSUME NEWS. BUT IS IT FOR THE BETTER?

33

A MODIFIED WORLD. THE FUTURE OF GENETIC ENGINEERING

35

GLOBAL ISSUES

37

THE UNLIKELY STAKEHOLDERS IN EU-TURKISH RELATIONS. TURKISH MINORITIES IN EUROPE

39

EXPLORING THE PROS AND CONS OF FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT

41

THE RATE AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONSQUENCES OF GLOBAL WARMING IN THE ARCTIC

45

ALPINE LAND USE AND NATURE PROTECTION

2


WELCOME

ROSE CANTILLON (IE)

AMBER DAVY (IE)

LEA PFAU (DE)

VARDGES SHAHMENENDYAN (AM)


Hello, First of all, Welcome to Lasuanne! We are Amber and Rose and we have the honour of being the Editors of Lausanne 2017. Along with our Editorial Assistants Vardges and Lea, we will guide the Media team through out the session and help them produce wide range of innovative and exciting content for you all to enjoy. The idea behind our KNOWLEDGE issue is to give you a deeper understanding of the topics you will discuss here at Lausanne. We hope that through this issue we will make you discover things that you never knew before, enhance your creativity and open your mind to the world of innovation and technology. With much excitement from Ireland, Amber& Rose

4


JOURNALISTS ALEXANDRU RAICU (RO) | CULT

CATARINA BENTO BUSTORFF (BE) | AFET II

FINJA STREHMANN (AT) | REGI I

GUILLERMO ESCUDER (ES) | EMPL

JAMES KEAVENEY JIMENEZ (IE) | TRAN 5


JANA BÃœHLER (CH) | LIBE II

JARNE VAN DER POEL (NE) | LIBE I

LUCIUS MILLER (CH) | AFET I

MATAS PETRONIUS (LT) | ECON

MIA VAN DER MERWE (CH) | AGRI

MORGAN BARDENT (UK) | AFCO

SARA KALLI (CY) | REGI II 6


URBAN DEVELOPMENT

Mia van der Merwe (AGRI) Sara Kalli (REGI II) Matas Petronis (ECON) James Keaveney Jimenez (TRAN)



CULTURAL DIVERCITIES Sara Kalli (REGI II)

If you’re reading this, there is a 72% chance that you live in an urban area. If that is the case, then the opportunities and challenges linked to the economic, social, and cultural diversity that ever-increasing migration flows bring to cities are an inextricable and integral part of your daily reality, whether that is expressed in witnessing protests against gentrification, or passing by a cultural festival at a local park. And the surge in migration is not over yet; demand for migrant workers to fill gaps in local labour markets is set to rise in the face of Europe’s ageing population, while ongoing political conflicts create refugee flows into Europe – the number of asylum applications rose by a 44 percent to 625,000 in 2014. The current situation raises many questions about what agenda stakeholders should promote to deal with cultural diversity, and at what cost. One method of dealing with cultural diversity caused by immigration is to encourage assimilation and integration. A focus on the similarities between diverse groups is emphasised and thus cultural differences that may diversify the social fabric are disregarded. Hence, it arguably is the denial of diversity by promoting one shared identity. This has been an increasingly used method, probably driven by fear for threats to social order, such as religious extremism, or the insecurities caused by growing social inequalities and further exploited by parties on the radical right. Despite the support of main9


stream politicians like Angela Merkel and David Cameron, attempts at enforced assimilation are blamed for alienating minority groups, fuelling discontent and marginalisation. A different agenda comes in the form of multiculturalism, in which minority groups are considered distinct groups; policies amplify these cultural differences in an attempt to foster peaceful coexistence and community cohesion. Multiculturalism appears to embrace ethnic differences, however it could be argued that it encourages communities and citizens to think of themselves as separated by cultural barriers. Defining communities by their ethnicity concludes in isolation and compartmentalisation of complex and multifaceted communities (i.e. ‘the African Caribbean community’; ‘the Asian community’, etc.), as if ethnicity were the only factor influencing the way in which people would lead their lives in the city. In the absence of intercultural encounters and dialogue, this could result in alienation and segregation of ethnic groups, as well as mutual suspicion between them. More recently a new method of dealing with urban diversity has

been gaining popularity, namely interculturalism. In this social model cultural diversity is celebrated as a vital aspect of a dynamic, innovative and economically successful city, and migrants are considered a resource, an asset, rather than a vulnerable group. It differs from multiculturalism in the sense that the final goal is not community cohesion and harmony at all costs. Instead of avoiding and disregarding disagreement or dispute that naturally arises from spon-

10


taneous intercultural interaction, this method views conflict as a source of creativity and innovation, a springboard of sorts for mutual learning and growth, resulting ultimately in intercultural competence. What is needed for such an intercultural model is the transformation of public space and civic culture to enable authentic intercultural interaction, which is where urban planning steps in. Urban planners should identify key public spaces where intercultural exchange potential is highest. Astoundingly, these spaces do not need to be highly designed and engineered and costly for the local government. In a survey carried out in Lewisham and Bristol in the UK, the most popular spaces where intercultural exchange takes place were mundane ones such as libraries, schools, colleges, youth centres, sports clubs, specific cinemas, the hair salon, the hospital, markets and community centres: informal settings are ultimately where spontaneous and genuine interaction comes naturally. In the same way as with every investment, urban projects will benefit some

11


socio-economic groups more than others, and urban planners need to keep these conflicting objectives in mind in order to cultivate an intercultural lens to view future urban developments. After all, there is a fine line between well-meaning infrastructure improvements leading to diversification of neighbourhoods by mixing social classes or leading to gentrification, the expression of structural inequality in an urban environment. This can be tackled by placing attention to affordable housing in gentrified areas, through rent control, subsidised housing for low-income households living in neighbourhoods with inflated housing, but also protection of local businesses that serve local communities cheap goods such as dispensaries. Segregation in urban enclaves also needs to be tackled, for example by municipal initiatives to provide information and confidence to ethnic groups about housing opportunities outside their traditional enclaves. At the same time, social housing could be placed in small units throughout the city to avoid segregated low-income neighbourhoods. The modern city has long become a public sphere, a hyper-diverse melting pot of cultures with multidimensional connections that overlap and conflict. The reality in many urban areas though is of social segregation, where minority groups live so-called ‘parallel lives’, and overall ethnic unrest is exacerbated by racism, discrimination, extremist politics and an atmosphere of competition for scarce resources, especially land. Policymakers, whether they are on the metropolitan, national or european level, have differing and ambiguous attitudes on how to deal with ethnic diversity in cities, however it’s due time that diversity awareness and thinking become embedded the formulation and implementation of welfare and planning policies to cultivate the ‘intercultural lens’.

12


URBAN AGRICULTURE IN BASEL Mia van der Merwe (AGRI)

On the 13th of August 2017, Sara Stühlinger from the organisation UniGärten kindly gave an interview on urban agriculture in the city of Basel. Q: When was this garden established? And was its original purpose to be an urban farm? A: The University-Gardens as an organisation was founded in 2011 but this garden didn’t belong to them then. Initially only one garden was used but the organisation was looking for other gardens. We have one in Mission 21 (close to Spalentor), two more like this as in allotments close to France (where tram nr. 3 ends) and this one, which has been part the University-Gardens since 2013. One of the co-founders of the organisation is now very involved in the Urban Agriculture Network of Basel. The original founders had the idea of farming in the city but today this garden has the purpose of getting students involved with nature and giving them the opportunity to learn more about gardening instead of this being a harvest orientated farm. Q: Do you work here full time? A: None of us work here full-time we’re either students, alumni or work at the university of Basel. We have less bachelor and master students than PhD students at the moment and our average age

13


is quite old. One reason could be that gardening needs a certain amount of input, commitment and settlement. A lot of people who really get involved stay in Basel for many years and come over the weekends or in the late afternoons. Q: When did you first get involved? What is your purpose and what made you decide to get involved? A: I personally got involved in 2014 and my reason for joining back then was that I felt that we had lost connection with where our food comes from. Today, I’m fully aware that complete independence would nearly be impossible. Gardening has become meditative for me and is basically now my hobby. Q: What affects has this garden had on the area? A: One way we impact is through the awareness we spread for students. Through us they can become aware that gardening should be fostered and can aid in everyday life. The allotment would still be at here I the organisation did not use it however I feel like we impact the area by rejuvenating the gardens and by showing that a younger generation cares. Q: What is grown here? A: We grow a lot of different fruit and vegetables here. In summer, we grow tomatoes and berries. Pumpkins, squashes, courgettes, and this year a lot of kale. We also have an apple and quince tree. The garden is a sort of trial and error so this year we have been able to test out which combinations work best together. Q: Where does the food produced here go? Is it sold to local stores? A: We do not produce enough to sell to local stores. The organisation Urban Agriculture Basel is more focussed on supplying to a larger scale however we tend to divide our produce amongst our gardeners.

14


Q: Do you use hydroponic or aeroponic techniques? If so why/ not? A: As a small organisation, we do not use either of these two techniques. It would not make sense to use them on this scale and we do not have the goal to produce for a bigger audience. The urban farmers in Basel might use these techniques but we are a centre focussing on learning and sharing in comparison to a high-tech farming organisation. Q: In what way is the city council or regional government involved? Do they support these gardens in any way? A: They do not support us financially. There are certain departments that are more involved with or more focussed on sustainability, agriculture or gardens in general. Certain initiatives also are interested in getting involved and those who support city development encourage us. Q: Does the government provide any form of infrastructure? A: The allotments belong to the city itself and are pretty reasonably priced for a whole year but we do not receive any further aid from the government. Q: Are there any form of legislations or regulations on how these farms should be run? A: I read that it should be used organically even though some of our neighbours might need to work on that. The guidelines are quite new and can be found under: http://www.stadtgaertnerei.bs.ch/eigene-garten/rechte-pflichten.html Q: What relationship does an urban farming project have with rural farmers? Are they seen as support or competition? How can a transition from rural to urban be made smoothly? A: I think there is potential for collaboration. Urban agriculture shows the city that we need to grow our food somewhere, that time is needed to develop the produce and that we need to focus on our environment. By involving the city in these projects civilians are able to connect to the source of their nutrition and break down the barrier between produce and consumer. Q: In which way do you think committees in the European Parliament such as the Committee on Industry, Technology and Research (ITRE) or the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs (ECON) could promote the benefits of urban farming? A: There are technological advances that could be helpful in or even make it possible for countries such as Singapore to make use of urban agriculture. However, I believe that in Switzerland the distances are not the problem in energy consumption. The way food is produced and what we eat is the bigger issue here for example tomatoes in winter, which need to be warmed by greenhouses. Initiatives to preserve energy could therefore be much more effective here and motivating that produce should be sourced more locally.

15


Q: Does urban farming take away potential customers of supermarkets and other distributors as they become more self-sufficient? Is a compromise possible? A: I wouldn’t say urban agriculture is the main culprit for “stealing” any customers but as a result of advancements in technology more food could be bought online and a direct connection between producers and consumers would be possible. In France, there is a movement called AMAP which encourages farmers to sell directly to customers. If anything this will be future competition for bigger distributors. Q: How can we ensure that citizens have access to the required information to effectively farm in their own urban areas? Does the university give lectures or hold any projects to activate and motivate urban farming in Basel and its’ surrounding areas? A: There used to be a lecture on agriculture and ecology but I’m not sure if it’s still in existence. Maybe more a farming school/college would have more lectures on farming or gardening. But ideally, we would love for our organisation would grow and get more students involved. 16


THE REAL ESTATE OF AFFAIRS

Matas Petronis (ECON)

17


18


SMART MOVE

James Keaveney Jimenez (TRAN)

Dear Delegates of TRAN, your topic for this session is one that is very much in the public eye.at this moment Traffic is an enormous problem in the vast majority of cities around the world. Not only is it frustrating for the commuter but it also causes a large increase in emissions. In the past, efforts to reduce this issue have failed as the problem persists. In the past few years, the concept of Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) and Cooperative Intelligent Transport Systems (C-ITS) have revolutionised the way we will commute in the future. But before discussing how ITS can be used to reduce emissions, it’s important to know exactly what ITS are; The official definition of Intelligent Transport System is: “An intelligent transportation system (ITS) is an advanced application which, without embodying intelligence as such, aims to provide innovative services relating to different modes of transport and traffic management and enable various users to be better informed and make safer, more coordinated, and ‘smarter’ use of transport networks”. What this really means is that all modes of transport which we use will have the ability to send out information about its location, destination, speed and so on to big servers and other vehicles which will in turn interpret these messages and respond to the vehicle, providing it with an optimal path to its destination, messages to reduce speed or to reposition itself. We can say that these vehicles are talking to each other in order to find the quickest, safest and most 19


fuel-friendly way of getting from A to B. This will allow all vehicles to become a community rather than just individual machines. Let’s put this into context, say you get into your car after work to drive home. You input your destination (in this case your address) into the car’s control panel and this information gets sent by Bluetooth to a local server. The server cross checks activity in the routes which you can take to go home. It turns out that there has been an oil spill on the road you usually would take and there is a huge traffic jam approaching the incident. So, the server tells your car that the optimal route is another road that bypasses this oil spill. All this will only take a few seconds and avoids you wasting hours and reduces fuel consumed. This is a very simple example but think of all the vehicles in the world interacting in the way outlined above and how much easier our commute would be if systems

like this were the norm. We see Toyota and Siemens playing a big role in research and development in the ITS field with Toyota dedicating an entire site to ITS development in Susono, Shizuoka, Japan (Higashi Fugi). ITS is becoming of global importance as Austria, Sweden and China (to name but a few) are beginning to invest heavily in this area. It is important to carefully read the title of your topic. Your topic only refers to how ITS can be used to reduce emissions. Although there is so much worthwhile information, research and experiments on how ITS will improve safety, it is not relevant to the topic. Take the example above, it would be safer for you to avoid the oil spill as an accident could happen easily. However, it doesn’t fall within the scope of your topic, there is enough to talk about just within the area of emission reduction! Keep this in mind during research and group discussions before and throughout the session. 20


TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION

Alex Raicu (CULT) Guillermo Escuder (EMPL) Jarne van der Poel (LIBE I) Jana Bühler (LIBE II)



DIGITAL TO SOCIAL EXCLUSION Alex Raicu (CULT)

The most important service of the 21st century is not accessible to at least a tenth of the world population, old age being the only factor taken into consideration. Apart from the obvious benefits that those without access to the Internet miss out on, a lack of online communication is one of the main causes for social exclusion among the elderly. The digital revolution has already started, yet not all of us are a part of it. The Internet has forever altered the human lifestyle. We do not merely use it, we programme and set our lives in motion knowing that we’re two taps away from talking with anyone about anything, one Google search away from any piece of information our minds could ever bother to think about and a couple of clicks away from a world chock-full of thousands of years of media content and entertainment. We can’t imagine how our lives would look like in the absence of an Internet connection and it’s becoming more of a utility than a luxury to be online; it’s where people communicate, find services and explore virtually anything. But despite all of these advantages, this life which we call normal is not enjoyed by everyone and the root from which the problem stems isn’t financial, geographical or even social, it’s solely based on the person’s age. Perhaps one of the most useful services that the Internet has

23


brought about is the free access to the growing amount of social-centred platforms. We’re living in an era defined by intrahuman relationships, we spend every day talking to as many as 50 people and our social lives are booming, but this level of communication could have only been achieved through the Internet. Those connected have access to the current means of socialisation, while the rest are being left out. Segregation and a lack of human contact is never a virtue, yet when paired with the common affections which come with old age it can turn a simple life of free time and leisure into a rollercoaster of anxiety, depression and sorrow, all increasing the chance of contracting mental diseases. However, suffering from an illness can always be ameliorated and, most importantly, bearable; being aware that your life is of barely any importance to anyone but yourself isn’t. That is social exclusion. But should we even care about such a small fraction of people? Aren’t there more pressing matters? Truth be told, the European Union has never expressed a big interest in supporting inclusion through the Internet. Moreover, the European Council has drastically limited the budget for the Connecting Europe Facility, a project which facilitated the development of networks and infrastructure and aimed to enhance broadband coverage. It seems that this issue is thrown to the side in favour of more noteworthy matters and that is inconsiderate to say the least. If major problems take very little from everybody, social exclusion takes everything from a few. Whether something will be done for the wellbeing and inclusion on the Internet of the elderly is only a matter of time it takes until the subject becomes widespread and media worthy. Or maybe you, the reader, the delegate, can do something about this?

24


HOW ROBOTS WILL CHANGE THE WORLD Guillermo Escuder (EMPL)

Will robots change our lives in the future? It’s funny to ask this question considering that robots are already working in our everyday lives and have also changed the way that many industries operate. We are so used to seeing robots in science fiction films and TV series that we don’t realise how advanced robots actually are. They are not “fiction” anymore. They are real. Oxford University researchers have estimated that 47 percent of jobs could be automated within the next two decades. “The automation of factories has already decimated jobs in traditional manufacturing, and the rise of artificial intelligence is likely to extend this job destruction deep into the middle classes, with only the most caring, creative or supervisory roles remaining,” wrote the world-famous physicist, Stephen Hawking. Some experts even go as far as to say that robots may become smarter than their creators by 2029. In any case, it is a fact that robots will change how we live forever - but how will they do so? These are some of the jobs that robots will take first. Robot-Driven Cars: Due to autonomous cars, in 20 years over 70 million professional drivers might lose their job. That means millions of people will have to study again or make a career shift as the value of the next-generation cars will be defined not by a brand or by a redesigned exterior, but by innovations. Looking at the bright side, self-driving cars make transportation safer, more convenient, and more cost-efficient for users. Eventually, they will be as common as a smartphone or email.

25


Accountants, Bookkeepers & Financial Analysts: Crunching numbers, balance sheets, accounts payable and receivable, profit and loss assessments, inventory tracking—these are all tasks robots are proficient at and in many cases they are better at them than humans. Moreover, transactions and records of transactions are increasingly happening digitally. The requirement for a Bookkeeper to oversee this is becoming less and less important. Finally, financial analyst jobs are also in danger, since the AI financial analysis is able to spot a trend faster and more accurately. Cooking, Bartending and Waiting on Customers: It has already been mentioned that some fast food chains are exploring the option of replacing human kitchen staff and with robots for efficiency and speed purposes. Robots would be able to use smart technology to read orders as they

26


come in, including special orders, and correctly create the item at a fraction of the time that it takes human workers to. Bartenders and Waitress replacement would also help reducing the time that consumers have to wait, however I am not sure if this machine will also double as a friend or a therapist in those lonely nights. Construction Workers: Robots already exist that dramatically cut the number of construction workers required on a site. These machines work specifically on repetitive jobs such as bricklaying, and they are getting more and more intelligent. They work faster and they don’t get tired, so can work for longer. In fact, theoretically, they could work around the clock. Construction sites are, of course, notoriously difficult to plan absolutely so there is likely to always be a need for humans to help deal with the issues that always arise. Salespeople & Cashiers: If your job involves significant amounts of negotiating or you sell really odd products such as dreams or magic don’t panic because you are probably safe. However, if you sell consumer products where the sales process is much simpler, you should probably start thinking about your next gig. Customers want to know what best suits their needs, the specifications, the benefits, the price, and the availability and machines are far better than humans at providing all this information. Recently, Amazon launched its first shop in Seattle, Amazon Go, with virtually no employees. You just walk in, grab what you want and walk out. You basically avoid any human interaction which is an increasing trend nowadays. The idea is that Amazon’s machine-learning technology automatically identifies when a


product is added to your cart and when you leave the store, Amazon automatically charges it into your account. Pretty amazing right? Yes, of course, if you don’t take into account the fact that the implementation of this new technology would suppose the list of 8 million workers only in America. Medical Professionals & Doctors: This may be one of the only guaranteed positive outcomes of robots’ taking human jobs. The current world population of 7.3 billion is expected to reach 11.2 billion in 2100. In practice, if everyone who ever wanted to be a doctor became one, we still would not have enough doctors. In fact, Robo-docs are actively working today. They, for example, help to spot early-stage skin cancers and ultra-precise Robo-surgeons are currently used for everything from knee replacement surgery to vision correction. We need a skills revolution! While technological developments will cause greater automation, a decrease in headcount or slow growth in hiring in some areas, it will actually create a lot

of jobs too. ManpowerGroup, one of the world’s largest jobs companies, points out that “skills cycles are shorter than ever and 65% of the jobs Gen Z will perform do not even exist yet.” Nonetheless, people aren’t qualified enough to take on new positions and that is why it is so important to make sure the world’s workforce “upskills”. Individuals also need to nurture their learnability: their desire and ability to learn new skills to stay relevant and remain employable. Now is the time for leaders to be responsive and responsible. As Jon Snow once said: “The White Walkers don’t care if a man’s free folk or a crow. We’re all the same to them, meat for their army. But if we prepare beforehand and join our forces, we will stand a chance of beating them.” The same principle applies with the robotics revolution. The good news is that in our case we all know that winter is coming so all we have to do is adapt to it. We cannot slow the rate of technological advance or globalization, but what we can do is invest in employees’ skills to make sure they are not being left behind.

28


SOCIAL MEDIA IS CHANGING HOW WE CONSUME NEWS.

BUT IS IT FOR THE BETTER? Jarne van der Poel (LIBE I)

Digitalisation is causing big changes in the media world. Traditional news outlets struggle to survive in an age where new media are emerging rapidly. Websites such as Facebook and Twitter are overtaking TV, radio and newspapers as our main news source. According to the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, 51% of people with online access use social media as a news source. Among young people, 28% said social media were their main source of information. The use of social media as a news outlet has been heavily debated the past year. Let’s take a look at the advantages and disadvantages of this relatively new phenomenon. Who pays for it? Under 10% of readers have paid anything for online news in the past year. Although this might be good news for consumers, it is undermining traditional business models and posing a threat to the very survival of journalists. Traditional news outlets are struggling to make money, and advertising looks the only sustainable business model these days. News outlets are also using “branded content” to ensure their survival: articles that are paid for and commissioned by a commercial party. Some point to the danger of branded content, saying interference of companies could endanger journalistic integrity.

29


Need for speed Social media allows for the distribution of information at unprecedented speed. Breaking news reaches people within minutes. The killing of Osama Bin Laden and the Boston bombing, for example, were two big news stories that first broke through Twitter and Facebook. Journalists themselves follow Twitter and Facebook attentively, to be notified of any major events as soon as possible. On the other hand, this enormous speed has caused fact checking to become less thorough. In order to stay relevant in the digital age, journalists are forced to keep up with social media’s increased pace. “Publish first, correct later” is the new motto. A 2014 survey found that almost half of journalist publish their stories as quickly as possible, to correct later if necessary. Only 20% of the questioned journalists always thoroughly check their facts before publication. Not only the distribution of information happens at a faster rate, so does the consumption of it. The enormous amount of information on our screens, combined with the speed at which it is supplied, is lowering our attention span significantly. Most of us like and retweet news without reading it. A study by computer scientists at Columbia University and the French National Institute revealed that 59% of the links we share have not actually been clicked. Many people are forming and sharing their opinion based on headlines these days. It appears that, in the age of information, we seem to be collectively uninformed.   Anyone can be a journalist In many ways the rise of social media has led to a diversification of the news and entertainment supply. Independent bloggers and vloggers are making a living out of creating their own content

30


and publishing it on social media. Furthermore, they have become an important source of information for traditional journalists. News outlets are increasingly using content made by social media users, such as tweets and pictures or videos from bystanders. Social media enables anyone to create and spread content online, and this is not without danger. Partly due to a lack of trust in established media companies, objective facts are becoming less influential. Instead, false information appealing to public opinion is spread online by actors with commercial or political agendas. Especially since Brexit and the US presidential election, the term “fake newsâ€? has been widely used for this phenomenon. Of course the quality of information circulating among the mass public is not a new concern. What is unique about fake news today, however, is the role of social media in spreading it. Complicated algorithms spread (mis) information among like-minded individuals and thus social media is playing a role in polarizing the public debate. So‌ what now? Social media have become an increasingly prominent force in public life, whether we like it or not. They have played a role in making information more accessible to the public and enabling the spreading of information at high speed. They have also given new voices and new forms of entertainment a platform. The role of social media as a news source, poses different challenges for the future. Firstly, the quality of online information is questionable, as news is increasingly driven by clicks and views, not by content. Furthermore, social media are affecting our ability to have civil political dialogue, as their algorithms play a role in polarizing the public debate. Lastly, they are a threat to the livelihood of journalists.

31


It is clear that every stakeholder has a part to play in facing these challenges. Online advertisers and social media have to take responsibility for their role in the spread of misinformation. The public must be more critical of the news they consume and share. Journalists have a responsibility to confront falsehoods and differentiate themselves from fake news. Finally and perhaps most importantly, traditional media need to find a profitable path in the online era if they want to survive. What this path will look like, however, remains to be seen. 32


A MODIFIED WORLD

THE FUTURE OF GENETIC ENGINEERING Jana BĂźhler (LIBE II)

The opportunities and dangers of genetic engineering have been controversially discussed ever since the discovery of DNA. From an ethical point of view there are many questions that humanity has to ask itself regarding research in the field of genetic engineering. However it seems often forgotten, that genetically modified organisms are already part of our daily lives, and this not only in the food-industry. For more than thirty years genetically modified E. coli bacteria have been used to produce human insulin for people suffering from diabetes. What was once a life-threatening disease is only a minor handicap nowadays, thanks to the artificial production of insulin. Unfortunately these achievements are given little recognition in the public debate about the future of genetic engineering. Besides all the concerns and dangers, there are already countless theories of what could be achieved with the modification of organisms. So what could the future of genetic engineering look like? Will we live in a malaria free world or rather settle on Mars? Apart from discovering cures for many more diseases, it could also enable us to control animal populations to fight diseases, like Malaria, at their root. Using a combination of the CRISPR-CAS9 and

33


gene drive methods, scientists are enabled to edit any specific sequence of DNA. According to Harvard professor Kevin Esvelt a combination of these two methods have great potential in the future. Especially in fast reproducing species the gene drive enables a modified gene to be quickly passed on to future generations and thus spread quickly across the population of a species. This is why Esvelt suggested a genetic modification of the Anopheles mosquito using this method. In this way the fight against the virus, which newly infects more than 200 million people in the Sub-Saharan region, every year, could be fought at its very roots. Even though the idea has been already discussed since the 1970s, there are still several decades of further research necessary, to assess the risk of possible mutations of the virus to the new conditions and other impacts on the ecosystem. Apart from many other methods to not only fight diseases, that are not only of genetic origin, scientists have also developed far more crazy theories. The futurist Juan Enriquez even suggested to genetically modify human organs, in order to enable us to live in harsher environments on other planets. The origin of this idea was based on scientists’ concerns that humanity will not be able to survive the next mass extinction, unless they resettle on other planets. Of course it is arguable whether or not this seems realistic in a 1,000 years time and there is still a long way to go until this becomes seriously arguable. However it is clear that science will reach a point where it will be possible to genetically modify faulty organs or even artificially grow them. While genetically modified organisms, such as insulin producing bacteria, are already part of our daily lives, a world where the spread of malaria is decreasing has only been a scientific theory so far. But in a few decades this could already be reality and who knows whether genetically modified humans will settle on Mars one day‌ Whether these theories seem realistic or not, scientific research continues and the future of genetic engineering bears endless opportunities and challenges. Thus we need to ask ourselves, do we want to take on this challenge and embrace it, so we can make the most of the opportunities?


GLOBAL ISSUES

Lucius Miller (AFET I) Catarina Bustorff (AFET II) Finja Strehmann (REGI I) Morgan Barnden (AFCO)



THE UNLIKELY STAKEHOLDERS IN EU-TURKISH RELATIONS

TURKISH MINORITIES IN EUROPE Lucius Miller (AFET I)

Europe’s relationship with Turkey has suffered strongly in the last 13 months since the attempted coup in Turkey. A lot of the current debate centres around the state of Turkey’s bid for accession to the EU, the refugee deal concerning the closing of the Balkan route into the EU and the implications of the April constitutional referendum. However, all these discussions maintain an “us vs. them” view of Turkish-European relations.

A seldom acknowledged aspect of Europe’s demographics is, how intervowen it already is with Turkey, due to the encouragement of large-scale immigration as Gastarbeiter, guest workers, during the economic up-swing of the 1960s. This so-called Turkish diaspora has been the first test of Europe’s ability to accomodate a large immigrant minority. It has not always succeeded in doing so.

As an example, Turks represent the largest minority in Germany, three million by some estimates. This is such a large number, that if Germany was a voting district in Turkey, it would be the 5th largest such district. Only about half of these have taken on German citizenship, i.e. seem to retain a significant attachment to their home country and it’s traditions. This is futher evidenced by the widespread

37


Picture from Sputnik International. Turkish and EU flags fly together at Taksim square on May 24, 2013, in Istambul.

bilinguality of second- and even third-generation Turks in Germany and other countries.

Traditionally, and as has been the case for a long time, this diaspora has mainly been supporting their families back home and the economies surrounding them through remittances. However, these diaspora communities could be an incredible resource to bridge the current gap between Europe and Turkey, if their power in opinion-making could be harnessed. Due to their stable links to families, friends and communities back in Turkey, they can serve as a direct way to approach the populations of Turkey or Europe respectively, promoting positive relations towards each other and demonstrating the benefits of cooperation.

Whatever the future relationship Europe finds with Turkey, it is impossible that it would not affect these communities in some way. On the one hand, disrupting the close ties between migrant communities and their relatives back home risks disenfranchisement and social tensions. On the other hand, the communities of the diaspora could also be used to promote cooperation in the future. Which route we will take however, is in your hands, dear delegates.

38


EXPLORING THE PROS AND CONS OF

FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT Morgan Barnden (AFCO)

Understanding the importance of freedom of movement is an essential path to understanding the European Union as a whole. It is, after all, one of the four founding principles of the EU - along with the free movement of goods, services and capital. The Committee on Constitutional Affairs are tackling one of the most fundamental questions regarding the future direction of the Union: whether it continues to stick by its founding principles or changes direction and abandons its long term commitment to freedom of movement. Those who would like to see the latter argue that the new circumstances that exist at the start of the 21st Century require a change in approach to the idea of free movement. Perhaps one of the most notable new circumstances is the rise in global terrorism post-September 2001. The argument is quite clear, the Schengen area compromises a national government’s ability to know who is entering and who is leaving their country. This leaves, they contend, the state’s counter-terrorism forces in the dark and unable to effectively keep track of potential terrorists, putting citizens’ lives at risk. Another interesting argument for a rethink of freedom of movement is the economic case. Some commentators propose that when the union was limited to a group of states that enjoyed a relatively similar level of financial success, social services, infrastructure etc. freedom of movement made sense. However, they go on, once this level playing field was disrupted by the EU’s expansion eastwards in 2004 (and


further enlargement in 2007) freedom of movement was no longer sustainable as there were such vast disparities in the economic and political situations of Member States. For example, the average wage in Bulgaria is less than a third of the minimum wage in the United Kingdom. This created an overwhelmingly one-way economic migration East to West which has put strain on infrastructure and services, in the eyes of the opponents of free movement. Furthermore, it also creates a race to the bottom where economic migrants in certain industries agree to work for considerably less than domestic citizens, effectively undercutting them and considerably depressing wages. An interesting counter-argument to this is the simple fact that this is just the brutal reality of the competitive market in action and is good for the consumer as the cost of the product, due to lower wages being paid, is reduced. In addition to this, supporters of freedom of movement argue that it provides the pan-European integration so important for guaranteeing peace on the continent. Indeed, this was the very ambition of the EU’s predecessor, the European Steel and Coal Community, which virtually guaranteed peace between adversaries of World War 2 by pooling the two most important resources necessary for war, Coal and Steel. Freedom of movement has replicated this intertwining of former enemies’ futures in a social sense, promoting a sense of common European identify through the idea of European Citizenship introduced by the Maastricht Treaty in 1992. Moreover, defenders of free moment believe this cultural diversity has helped to create more liberal, enlightened and tolerant societies in Member States across the continent, having an overwhelmingly positive social impact. Furthermore, free movement can contribute to solve the skills shortage in the labour market by allowing unem-

ployed people with the adequate skills to move to the countries where their skills are needed rather than remaining unemployed or taking jobs below their skills level in their home states, allowing a natural dispersal of supply and demand across the continent. It is evident that there are convincing arguments on both side of the idealogical rift over freedom of movement. Unfortunately, there is no easy solution to the question. Free movement played a substantial role in the British people’s decision to leave the EU and with an unprecedented rise of anti-free movement parties across Europe, from Le Front National to insert Danish People’s Party, one thing is clear, the future of a defining feature of the EU, the ability of its citizens to move freely around 26 separate countries without hindrance, is very much in jeopardy. 40


THE RATE AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES OF

GLOBAL WARMING IN THE ARCTIC Catarina Bustorff (AFET II)

What is climate change? Climate change is the long-term modification in weather patterns in a local or global level, it includes precipitation, temperatures, cloud cover etc. Global warming only refers to one aspect of climate change, it being the rise of global temperature of the Earth’s surface. Scientific experts agree that these changes in climate are the consequence of human activities. Since the Industrial Revolution, the amount of greenhouse gas such as carbon dioxide or methane in the atmosphere have drastically increased. What is happening in the Arctic? The Arctic region is extremely vulnerable to climate change and it is where we are observing strong evidence of it. The Arctic is warming at a rate of twice the global average. This happens because the region is losing 4% of its snow and 11% of its ice coverage a decade . And snow and ice are light, reflective surfaces that absorb less heat and reflect it back to the space. As these are melting, bare rock and areas of dark open water become exposed and absorb more and more of the sun’s energy thus amplifying and accelerating the overall rate of global warming.

41



The Arctic sea ice is home to a unique fauna and flora, with species not found anywhere else. However, the sea ice is shrinking and summer ice is predicted to disappear within a generation. These major changes affect the biodiversity of Arctic marine ecosystems. As we have been burning coal, oil and gas since the Industrial Revolution, we have changed the composition of the atmosphere. The amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and in the surface ocean is no longer in balance. The massive increase in carbon dioxide absorbed at the surface of the ocean have made the world’s oceans 30% more acidic, as carbon dioxide reacts with water to produce carbonic acid. These chemical changes affect all aspects of marine life. First, as the water becomes more acidic, it is more difficult for species to absorb calcium and this affects coral reefs and the shells of oysters, crabs and snails. The basis of most marine food chains, plankton, is also exposed to the acidification of the oceans. Moreover, fish is becoming stupid, swimming strait to predators, as they are victims to acid-made shifts in their ability to smell. And the colder the water, the faster it absorbs carbon dioxide and so the more acidic it gets. The Arctic ocean would be the first to hit the point of non-return with dangerous, systemic acidification. What are the consequences at a global level? As previously noted, while snow and ice melt, the Arctic will start absorbing more of the sun’s heat. This will create a self-reinforcing cycle by which global warming feeds on itself. Furthermore, forests are projected to expand northwards into areas that are currently tundra. This may seem positive because trees absorb more carbon dioxide than the current vegetation. Nonetheless, tundra is

a more reflective environment and this will increase the absorption of solar heat at the earth’s surface. Scientific projections have estimated that melting sea ice and glaciers will increase global sea levels one meter up by 2100. This would cause massive floods in coastal regions everywhere, affecting one quarter of the world’s population. The Arctic region is also a regulator of global climate and it is predicted that these changes will affect rainfall and weather patterns in Europe and North America that would deregulated agriculture, forestry and water supplies. Arctic warming would also affect ocean currents such as the Gulf Stream that flows from the Gulf of Mexico to the coasts of Europe and provides some of the heat that keeps our region warmer than those at the same latitude in North America. This would mean a regional cooling in Europe while the rest of the world keeps warming. The frozen soils of the Arctic, its permafrost, work as carbon and methane stores. With higher temperatures, the top layer of permafrost thaws, plant material on dry land or ponds decompose and release these greenhouse gases. Climate change will also affect Arctic’s natural resources that are used all around the world. For example, some of the world’s oldest and most productive commercial fishing grounds will diminish. More on that, changes in Arctic ecosystems will be felt globally as the habitats of many migrating species will be damaged. What about drilling in the Arctic? Ironically, it is climate change and warming temperatures that open up new regions for the extraction of oil and natural

43


gas. But continuing burning these fossil fuels will only contribute to increase greenhouse gas emissions that will further harm the fragile Arctic environment. On a scarier note, scientists agree that an oil spill will inevitably occur in the Arctic if drilling progresses and that we do not yet have the technology to clean up such a spill. 44


ALPINE LAND USE AND NATURE PROTECTION Finja Strehmann (REGI I)

Biosphere park Nockberge The biosphere reserve Nockberge is a model region for sustainable development. First the biosphere park was a national park, but due to it’s importance for farmers as well as tourism it was remodelled into a biosphere reserve. This enables farmers to still use the alms for livestock and allowes the usage of the area for tourism as well. This means that developement is possible, but only if all parties - farmers, tourism industry and nature protection - agree on the changes. Agrotourism Agrotourism is getting more and more popular, especially amongst families that live in urban areas. This style of vacation is offered by farmers. The tourists could then help the farmers to learn something about the animals and the work of the farmers. They get offered regional food, sometimes even vegetables they harvested themselfe. Ecotourism Ecotourism is about responsible tourism to natural areas that conserves the environment, respect the local people and ensures their well-being and involves interpretation and education. The aim is to minimize the impact on the environment during the travel, to raise awareness, to financially support the locals and to provite great experiences to tourists and to help rise sensitivity amongst them. 45


46


47


48



Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.