Space Debris: With an increasing number of countries–and private companies, active in outer space, space debris (things discarded intentionally or inadvertently in outer space) has become of increasing importance. The European Space Agency (ESA) reports an estimated 36,500 “large” space debris objects, but over 130 million tiny pieces of space debris. As space activity increases, and accidents caused by space proliferate, this only creates more debris and greater risk. The situation calls for regulation and intervention.

Cybercrime: The end of 2023 there were over 5 billion internet users globally, and nearly as many social media users, 60-65% of the global population. The internet is a transformative technology, offering opportunities for global communication, education and finance, but it comes at a price. Cybersecurity for individuals, companies and governments is a growing concern. IBM reported that the average data breach cost companies 4.45 million dollars. Most cybercrimes can be much smaller and may never even be detected, but violate the privacy of users. Between identity fraud, theft, and cyber-terrorism, there are numerous issues to be addressed.

Rising Sea Levels: Rising sea levels are one of the consequences of climate change, with dire consequences for everyone, especially coastal communities and islands. While the global sea level has risen over 20 cm in the last century, in the last 20 years the rate has more than doubled. 10% of the global population lives in a coastal zone with low elevation, putting cities like London, Shanghai and New York, as well as small island states, at great risk of flooding, leading to potential mass refugee events.

Fashion Industry: The growth of the fashion industry has been a boon for clothing designers and manufacturers–at the expense of the environment. With 80 billion articles of clothing bought a year, there are tremendous amounts of waste, and environmentally harmful production practices, leading to 90 million tons of textiles and other materials thrown out annually–enough to fill 7% of the landfills in the world. With 87% of material used to make an item of clothing discarded, the fashion industry alone is responsible for up to 8% of greenhouse gas emissions and 9% of microplastic pollution in the oceans. This committee will try to address environmentally responsible production and consumption of clothing.