WMHSMUN XXXIV Project Atlantis Year 3000 Background Guide “Unprecedented committees. Unparalleled debate. Unmatched fun.” Letter From the Director Dear Delegates, My name is Anna Isler and I am thrilled to serve as your director for Project Atlantis! I am a junior at the college double majoring in Biology and Health Sciences. Outside of academics, I play the violin in the W&M Symphony Orchestra and a string quartet, conduct research on synthetic biology and genetic engineering, and, of course, I am a member of the International Relations Club. As a member of the club, I have worked with the philanthropy team, International Relations Cares, competed in and staffed conferences, and I am a member of the &MUN IX Secretariat. I was first introduced to MUN when I came to William & Mary, and I have enjoyed traveling to competitions and staffing ever since. I have been a fan of sci-fi and fantasy stories for as long as I can remember, and I’m excited to be able to bring elements of both genres into this committee. Right now, science and technology are progressing faster than ever, so who knows what could happen by the time we reach the year 3000. The unprecedented times we are living in right now also necessitate creative solutions to our world’s problems. I look forward to seeing your innovations shine in committee. Anna Isler [email protected] Background Guide – Project Atlantis Introduction Human life and society have changed drastically over the last 1000 years. Even with humanities best efforts, global warming continued, and our planet began to change. Earth’s temperatures have risen by approximately 5.4°C with water temperature increasing by 3°C. The oceans in the southern hemisphere rose 3m after the Antarctic Ice Sheet collapsed, flooding island nations and forcing their citizens to flee. Environmental refugees fled northward and inland to escape rising sea levels, extreme weather conditions, and natural disasters, causing overpopulation in what livable land there is left. Food scarcity is a looming threat as fertile land is becoming exhausted from centuries of unsustainable farming.1 Much of the 2000’s millennia was spent exploring space and trying to establish civilization beyond our planet. Even though space exploration and civilization is developing, it will not be enough to preserve humanity. Project Atlantis was dreamt up 10 years ago as the need for self-sufficient, alternative societies became serious. The UN Third Committee handpicked a team of 20 experts from around the world in fields ranging from law to geology to bring the project to life. Years of research have gone into creating pieces of the puzzle, now it is time to put everything together and start living under the sea. Setting The location chosen for Project Atlantis was inspired by Plato’s dialogues which said "For the ocean there was at that time navigable; for in front of the mouth which you Greeks call, as you say, 'the pillars of Heracles,' (i.e., Hercules) there lay an island which was larger than Libya and Asia together." We know now that it is geologically impossible for Atlantis to have existed in the Atlantic, however Plato’s history and philosophy about Atlantis paint an interesting picture about the city. Atlantis was not a perfect, utopian society as it is sometimes portrayed in modern media. Atlantis was a powerful, wealthy, and 2 Background Guide – Project Atlantis technologically advanced nation that became corrupted in its search for power and expansion. It is suspected that Atlantis was sunk by divine intervention after the gods became disgusted by the decline in Atlantean ethics. Keep these philosophies in mind while developing this civilization.2 The site for the Atlantis settlement is located beyond the Strait of Gibraltar in the Atlantic Ocean at a depth of 300m. This is an ideal location for an underwater settlement because it is well sheltered, and humans can adapt to the pressure and air quality differences from the surface. One technology that will revolutionize underwater settlements is the “Gravitational Pull Water Displacement System (GPWDS)” created by Vinny Santorini, a member of this committee. This technology was inspired by the way the moon’s gravitational pull influences the tides. Using GPWDS, a watertight dome can be created on the sea floor which will be reinforced with a plexiglass barrier. Breathable air can be pumped into the area until Atlantis has created its own air purification system. Committee members will not have to worry about fulfilling their basic needs during this experimental stay, but they should have created and tested strategies for self-sufficiency that can be applied once the Atlantis settlement is fully developed. Underwater Settlements Underwater settlements are, obviously, not a new idea. Underwater labs and experimental habitats were pioneered in the 1950’s and 60’s and research continued throughout the 2000’s millennia. Underwater hotel rooms and vacation locations were also popularized in the 21st century. The technology to create underwater societies has Aquarius Reef Base existed for centuries, and yet no one has been able to establish a long-term, sustainable settlement.3 Underwater labs were some of the first underwater facilities to house researchers, often called aquanauts. Most of these labs were made of multiple pods or modules made of steel, glass, and cement. Creating multiple connected modules was simpler than attempting to create a large dome structure, however GPDWS makes creating a “bubble” NOAA Hydrolab structure much easier. 3 Background Guide – Project Atlantis Inspiration for the possible structure of Atlantis was drawn from two ambitious ideas proposed by architects in the 21st century. The first is Phillip Pauley’s Sub-Biosphere 2 model. This housing network centers on a Central Support Biome which is surrounded by eight Living Biomes. The Central Support Biome controls necessary life systems Sub-Biosphere 2 Design including air, water, food, electricity, and pressure. It will also house a seed bank for growing hydroponic crops to feed the inhabitants. The entire structure is anchored to the sea floor. The Central Pod will rise above the water while the living biomes are submerged. Shimizu Corp., a Japanese architectural firm, developed a model for an underwater city contained in a 1,600-foot-wide sphere that could support up to 5,000 residents. The settlement would float just below the surface but can descend up to 9 miles below the surface in response to changing weather conditions. They also planned to establish a research facility connected to the city which would mine the seabed for precious metals and create energy for the city above. The city would be further supported by desalinated water using hydraulic pressure, fish farms built around the structure, and microorganisms to convert carbon dioxide into Shimzu Corp. Design methane energy.4 Agriculture Food supply is one the main issues currently affecting the terrestrial world. Underwater, there are many innovative models to sustainable food production. Fresh seafood and plankton are readily available, but still need to be cultivated and consumed sustainably. Unsustainable, mono aquaculture practices for farming fish cause red rides, diseases, and oxygen deficiency in the aquatic environments. Saltwater aquaponics is a system that has been researched recently as a sustainable way to reduce stress on environments used by conventional fish farms.5 Aquaponics combines aquaculture, conventional raising of aquatic animals, with hydroponics, cultivation plants in water, in a symbiotic environment. The system involves a tank for raising and feeding the aquatic creature, usually fish, and a hydroponic system where the plants are grown. The water in the fish tank accumulates food and waste from the fish, which is then pumped out of the fish tank, pushed through 4 Background Guide – Project Atlantis biofilters to catch large particles, and into the hydroponic system where the plants are grown. The nutrient rich water feeds the plants and the plants, in turn, clean the toxins of the water. The water is then pumped back into the fish tanks. Aquaponics removes the main pollutants caused by agricultural runoff, pesticides and fertilizers. Aquaponics creates a closed ecosystem which protects the plants from parasites and the system creates a natural fertilizer, so the system is completely safe and doesn’t leave a footprint on the aquatic ecosystem.6 Saltwater aquaponics systems can be used to cultivate abalone, scallops, seaweed, sea cucumbers, spinach, barley, rice, and swiss chard. Phytoplankton, zooplankton, and seaweed can be used as natural biofilters. One of the best ways to sustain an aquaponics system is to establish a food chain within the system. This means feeding the fish, or other aquatic organisms, with plants or organisms created within the system. GreenWave’s model (see image)7 is a great example of regenerative aquaponics that can be used to cultivate a variety of food in the ocean. Freshwater aquaponics systems can also be created by desalinating seawater.8 The gravitational pull technology that creates a water free dome can facilitate open air farming. Crops like carrots, potatoes, and tomatoes can grow quite well in sandy soil, however this open-air farming may not be sustainable for all underwater settlements. Maritime Relations Project Atlantis is a non-partisan body, but once the success of this settlement has been shared, how will underwater territories be established and regulated? The United Nations Law of the Sea Convention in 1982 extended international law to the ocean. This law established freedom of navigation rights, set territorial sea boundaries 12 miles offshore, set exclusive economic zones up to 200 miles offshore, set rules for extending continental shelf rights up to 350 miles offshore, created the International Seabed Authority, and created other committees like the UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf.