[PASSED] Repeal:Promoting Sustainable Timber

[EstRADia]

This is the absolute worst deal in WA history. Unbelievable.

[Ursopia]

Following the recent World Assembly Resolution "Repeal "Promoting Sustainable Timber"", I have noticed many nations voted in favor of this resolution. I know many people simply do not look too deep into resolutions (and that's perfectly alright), but I would like to bring attention to some of the misinformation and hidden consequences this bill bares. In its 3rd point (beginning with "Realizing this damage") it claims the previous provisions (those granted in WA Resolution "Promoting Sustainable Timber") would decrease business and lower demand. What this point forgets is the legitimate timber producing companies who are already compliant with the World Assembly Forest Commission (WAFC). All nations who are buying from nonlegitimate timber producing companies (either unknowingly or without thought) will take their business to approved timber producing companies, so the same amount of business that is lost from these provisions is recovered in a more sustainable sector of the timber industry. In addition, the cost of becoming WAFC approved is almost nonexistent, as the only additional requirement of becoming WAFC approved is to allow WAFC inspectors into the production area. And as no required downtime or fee is specified, nothing will be lost with this. In the next point of the resolution (beginning with "Further noting that this ban") claims that this ban will greatly hurt trade relations between WA and non-WA nations, but this is as forgetful, exaggerated and misleading. Legitimate companies, both WA and non-WA, will not be affected by the previous resolution (WA Resolution "Promoting Sustainable Timber") for the reasons stated before. But there is another thing to consider; companies must stay in business by being more or equally in demand than their competitors. If a company's product was less in demand, it would make fewer sales. Fewer sales means it would be able to develop at a slower speed than it's competition, which would lead to the competition stealing even more of the company's business until the lesser company folds. There has to be a reason nations want to buy from a company, and this goes for legitimate companies just as much and nonlegitimate. They provide some customer benefits (whether it be the same price as nonlegitimate companies, better quality timber, etc) that keep them in business. So what nations lose in cheap non-legitimate companies, they gain back in customer benefits (and sometimes they gain something more valuable than they lose.) The point after this one (beginning with "Discerning that this will force WA member nations"), to put it simply, defeats its own logic. It says "other nations can undercut the sustainable market with unsustainable practices". When one sector of an industry can easily undercut the other, a monopoly can possibly be formed. And to most, the reasons on why monopolies harm the economy are obvious. They can lead to price-fixing, the forcing of lower quality products, and less wealth diversity. The previous resolution stopped the 'unsustainable' (which I've referred to as non-legitimate practices in this message), which have the ability to undercut the 'sustainable' (legitimate) companies. In the final point (beginning with "Concluding that this resolution"), it claims the previous resolution would quote "harm the sustainability of timber rather than protect it". Not only did the previous resolution aim to protect the sustainability of the environment itself, not the timber industry (that's a happy coincidence), but WA Resolution "Promoting Sustainable Timber" did almost nothing to affect legitimate practices and even less to make timber less sustainable or available in the future. This last point, as it encapsulates this disheartening resolution, truly encapsulates my points exactly. WA Resolution "Promoting Sustainable Timber" does not interfere with legitimate trades while still promoting integrity and preventing harmful illegitimate monopolies within the timber industry. And so...

It is for these reasons that Ursopia urges you to vote against WA Resolution "Promoting Sustainable Timber"

Thank you for reading,
Ursopia

[He Qixin 2]

OOC: Oops, nearly forgot my daily duty. Sorry!

TNP "Repeal: Promoting Sustainable Timber" Resolution Analysis:

General Assembly Resolution #422 Promoting Sustainable Timber, while well meaning in its goal of attempting to ensure timber used in WA member nations is produced in an environmentally sustainable manner, is inherently flawed and places the economies of WA members at serious risk. Given that GAR#422 also seriously harms international trade in the timber industry, in some cases forcing WA members to import timber at a drastically increased cost. The Ministry would also like to note, that due to the loss of some of their clientele due to the restrictions imposed by GAR#422, timber operations may be forced to take further cost-cutting methods of production, which in turn could cause Promoting Sustainable Timber to cause more environmental damage than it currently prevents.

For these reasons, the Ministry of World Assembly Affairs recommends a vote for the resolution.

[Hospitaller Order of Saint John]

A lot of the economic issues could be solved in the following ways:

1. If you don't like WA laws, you are not required to a member and can leave to do whatever you please.

2. Non-WA nations could simply trade with one another after losing trade with WA nations.

3. Alternatively, nations being denied trade due to violations of the WA's legislature, especially the WAFC, could obey the legislature. Of course, it will be more expensive, but that's practically the entire economy versus environment debate.

Thanks! I actually used 1

[Imperium Anglorum]

Following the recent World Assembly Resolution "Repeal "Promoting Sustainable Timber"", I have noticed many nations voted in favor of this resolution. I know many people simply do not look too deep into resolutions (and that's perfectly alright), but I would like to bring attention to some of the misinformation and hidden consequences this bill bares. In its 3rd point (beginning with "Realizing this damage") it claims the previous provisions (those granted in WA Resolution "Promoting Sustainable Timber") would decrease business and lower demand. What this point forgets is the legitimate timber producing companies who are already compliant with the World Assembly Forest Commission (WAFC). All nations who are buying from nonlegitimate timber producing companies (either unknowingly or without thought) will take their business to approved timber producing companies, so the same amount of business that is lost from these provisions is recovered in a more sustainable sector of the timber industry. In addition, the cost of becoming WAFC approved is almost nonexistent, as the only additional requirement of becoming WAFC approved is to allow WAFC inspectors into the production area. And as no required downtime or fee is specified, nothing will be lost with this. In the next point of the resolution (beginning with "Further noting that this ban") claims that this ban will greatly hurt trade relations between WA and non-WA nations, but this is as forgetful, exaggerated and misleading. Legitimate companies, both WA and non-WA, will not be affected by the previous resolution (WA Resolution "Promoting Sustainable Timber") for the reasons stated before. But there is another thing to consider; companies must stay in business by being more or equally in demand than their competitors. If a company's product was less in demand, it would make fewer sales. Fewer sales means it would be able to develop at a slower speed than it's competition, which would lead to the competition stealing even more of the company's business until the lesser company folds. There has to be a reason nations want to buy from a company, and this goes for legitimate companies just as much and nonlegitimate. They provide some customer benefits (whether it be the same price as nonlegitimate companies, better quality timber, etc) that keep them in business. So what nations lose in cheap non-legitimate companies, they gain back in customer benefits (and sometimes they gain something more valuable than they lose.) The point after this one (beginning with "Discerning that this will force WA member nations"), to put it simply, defeats its own logic. It says "other nations can undercut the sustainable market with unsustainable practices". When one sector of an industry can easily undercut the other, a monopoly can possibly be formed. And to most, the reasons on why monopolies harm the economy are obvious. They can lead to price-fixing, the forcing of lower quality products, and less wealth diversity. The previous resolution stopped the 'unsustainable' (which I've referred to as non-legitimate practices in this message), which have the ability to undercut the 'sustainable' (legitimate) companies. In the final point (beginning with "Concluding that this resolution"), it claims the previous resolution would quote "harm the sustainability of timber rather than protect it". Not only did the previous resolution aim to protect the sustainability of the environment itself, not the timber industry (that's a happy coincidence), but WA Resolution "Promoting Sustainable Timber" did almost nothing to affect legitimate practices and even less to make timber less sustainable or available in the future. This last point, as it encapsulates this disheartening resolution, truly encapsulates my points exactly. WA Resolution "Promoting Sustainable Timber" does not interfere with legitimate trades while still promoting integrity and preventing harmful illegitimate monopolies within the timber industry. And so...

It is for these reasons that Ursopia urges you to vote against WA Resolution "Promoting Sustainable Timber"

Thank you for reading,
Ursopia

Because you just sent me a telegram exactly repeating the wall of text you posted here, I'll post my properly white-spaced response to your telegram that I also sent you below:

You should vote for repeal. The resolution harms global forest stock, exacerbating existential risks caused by global warming. You can read my well researched, well sourced arguments here: viewtopic.php?p=33430151#p33430151

Furthermore, your arguments about something like a race to the top resulting from market constrictions don't occur for two reasons: first, timber exploitation by rational firms is already sustainable, it is only capital-scarce nations which will be affected by this; second, the WA lacks enough market power to achieve these changes.

Moreover, pretending that a lack of tax or tariff does not mean that costs occur is asinine. There obviously is a cost, in that revenues on that transaction decrease from non-zero values to zero values. You should learn yourself some trade economics before telling me obvious falsehoods. This is especially the case given that you seem to pretend that firms have unlimited supply and price-setting powers. Building yourself a false conception of world markets and the actual causes of monopoly power as a means to pull your desired conclusion out of a hat is not good policy analysis.

Forest transition is important to consider as an element of economic development policy. The proposal before us would repeal legislation which damages economic development and decreases urban sector employment in nations. Increasing the number of people employed in inefficient and unintensive agricultural sectors exacerbates deforestation by increasing the rate of land clearance. If you actually wanted to help forests, you would develop economies so that population pressures on food sources can be resolved by increasing agricultural productivity rather than trying to impoverish them into being unable to solve the problem.

[Swedish Communist Party]

May I Point Out (don't hate me if is already has been) But The Resolution Saying To 'Promote' Sustainable Timber Does not give any mention of Conventional Methods (ie. Planting new trees). Instead the Resolution is More Focused On Punishing Non WA Nations And Stopping Free Trade

Henceforth This Nation Is Voting For

[Kenmoria]

May I Point Out (don't hate me if is already has been) But The Resolution Saying To 'Promote' Sustainable Timber Does not give any mention of Conventional Methods (ie. Planting new trees). Instead the Resolution is More Focused On Punishing Non WA Nations And Stopping Free Trade

Henceforth This Nation Is Voting For

"However, other methods such as the one you described are already put in place by other resolutions."

[Herby]

Wooo hoo hoo hoo hooo! Ohhhhh thank you thank you thank you guys for makin’ this pass! You guys don’t know how badly you crippled our timber trade with WA nations while we been deforesting ehhhhhh while we do some large-scale landscaping on our government lands. Turnin’ it all into an asphalt paradise. Heh heh heh heh. Later, meat puppets!

[Imperial Polk County]

"I voted for this because--"

Wooo hoo hoo hoo hooo! Ohhhhh thank you thank you thank you guys for makin’ this pass! You guys don’t know how badly you crippled our timber trade with WA nations while we been deforesting ehhhhhh while we do some large-scale landscaping on our government lands. Turnin’ it all into an asphalt paradise. Heh heh heh heh. Later, meat puppets!

"Check that, I voted against this, because... well, just because."

[Araraukar]

"Check that, I voted against this, because... well, just because."

"Because you are in love with the talking car, according to miss Leveret's notes," Johan said. "The Grand Nation of Araraukar has voted for this repeal, not because we thought that nations should be allowed to decimate their forests, but because we feel that the target resolution does absolutely nothing to encourage sustainable logging, rather just punishes those who do it unsustainably."

OOC: Yes, I know, it wasn't in Environmental category, but the above is from the IC point of view.

[Herby]

**cough**sputter**choke**

Yo Milkman, your notes are a few months outta date.

[Araraukar]

Yo Milkman, your notes are a few months outta date.

"I suggest you direct your complaints to miss Leveret. If you leave them in triplicate at the Araraukarian office, we will forward them via the appropriate channels." The deadpan expression was harder to maintain than he had thought previously.

[Dyson-Hikari Corporations]

Hikari Shadow Executive Aio Sato sat and looked on quietly, sinking into his chair while clasping his hands together. It has been hours, and the hallowed halls of the World Assembly has mobilized per its design, debating on the issue of the day. The Dyson-Hikari Corporations Permanent Representative to the World Assembly was an older gentleman, but don't mistake his thinning white hair and sunken face for frailty. The hardships of his humble beginnings and status as a veteran of countless wars in recent memory has earned the statesman and diplomat the respect of both the people and his peers, despite their political leanings, and has been known to be a man of unfaltering integrity. On this day however, Sato understood the direct impact of the resolution trying to be repealed at home as he finally take to the floor to address the chamber directly.

Transcript

Representative from Kranostav, Secretary General, fellow delegates. We have come yet again at a crossroads, between the old world and the new. Between the roots that laid the foundation of who we are and the frontier that strives to be better. It is a balancing act to choose between the two extremes. The World Assembly is and has always been an instrument that promotes such radical change through united reform, in doing so giving a voice to those who cannot speak for themselves.

It is without doubt that the path the World Assembly forges forward has a sphere of influence beyond itself. Numerous legislation regarding basic human rights, economic development, and the promotion of freedom have been passed globally since the inception of this institution and its predecessor. Environmental issues have also never been neglected, with 17 resolutions passed in favor of safeguarding the home we live on together.

The resolution to 'Promote Sustainable Timber' was a bold declaration of our continued efforts on this issue, highlighted especially in Resolution #291 'Sustainable Forest Management'. Since then we have recognized its shortcomings and further resolutions, of which we fully support and hope to uphold with integrity, have successfully been passed to directly address the outlined considerations in the energy and mining sectors.

And thus Dyson-Hikari has decided to vote against this repeal. The repeal is of course not without merit, which is without a doubt a reasonable, thoughtful one, however we regard the outlined implementation of the original resolution to be as fair as it can be in context of such a reasonable change. Even when deliberating on the resolution, the cost that would have to be borne within the wood industry was always on our minds, especially by the middle class workers working tirelessly to provide for their families and support an important cornerstone of our economy.

Dyson-Hikari has been put at the blunt end of this resolution ourselves, with our economy primarily invested in wood industry. Overnight, confidence in our economy was put to the test as we scrambled to pass some sort of legislation in favor of the resolution. In full honesty, we suffered setbacks in our own progress but we persevered, confident in our commitment to it.

Critics of Dyson-Hikari might be quick to point out our anti-environmentalism past, and they would be correct. Like every country, we battle our own inner demons. This should not however impede our current efforts to promote sustainability. More so, it is a personal challenge for us to address our problems. We will not shy away in undoing the mistakes we have made, no matter how it got us to where we are today.

Although it seems 'Promote Sustainable Timber' will be repealed, we hope this chamber will stand witness as we pledge to abide by the prohibitions of the resolution regardless, establishing our own Forest Commission to ensure it. We also hope that World Assembly nations would also do the same, in pursuit of the ideals of environmental conservation, at least until a new resolution could be passed in its place.

As we have done before, the deliberations of our choices must strike a balance between our history and our aspirations, to ensure our legacy,
the future which our children will one day inherit from us, is something worth remembering as well as worth living in.

[Kenmoria]

This is the absolute worst deal in WA history. Unbelievable.

Reasons? This repeal looks perfectly good to me.

[Shaktirajya]

We, the People's Hindu Matriarchy of Shaktirajya, hereby vote FOR this resolution in concert with Our regional delegate Davelands. We oppose frivolous repeals, but if We may be assured that the resolution will be replaced with better legislation and not repealed and ignored, We are willing to get on board.

Vaktaha Samajavadinaha Matarajasya Shaktirajasya

[Dirty Americans]

Later, meat puppets!

"I wish you wouldn't use that. It's very misleading. When I look around this chamber all I can see is grizzle and fat. Besides, parking lots are so BORING. Don't you want to zip around curved parkways swerving around the great trees that shades you from the noonday sun? Or promenade slowly along a divided avenue under the shade of huge weeping willow trees?"

[Ferret Civilization]

Coming in at just hear only the recent exchange,

Later, meat puppets!

"I wish you wouldn't use that. It's very misleading. When I look around this chamber all I can see is grizzle and fat. Besides, parking lots are so BORING. Don't you want to zip around curved parkways swerving around the great trees that shades you from the noonday sun? Or promenade slowly along a divided avenue under the shade of huge weeping willow trees?"

"I would believe the goal would be to make slave-drivers not want to live in their lands doing... Slave-driver stuff. Anyways, congratulations to the Kranostav ambassador there to come out of the blue, and come out on top of all the other repeal drafts to get this to vote. And preemptive congratulations to this probably passing now, or to setting a near record on voting turnaround if that record exists."

[Kranostav]

Passed! Thank you all for the votes and thank you IA for the opportunity!

[Kenmoria]

Passed! Thank you all for the votes and thank you IA for the opportunity!

Congratulations!

[Wrapper]

Repeal "Promoting Sustainable Timber" was passed 12,645 votes to 6,418.

[Araraukar]

Passed!

OOC: Now you'll have to buy a round to all ambassadors in Stranger's Bar. That has strained more than one nation's budget in the past, due to the Bar stocking a large number of very exotic, extinct and otherwise very expensive drinks.

[He Qixin]

Passed!

OOC: Now you'll have to buy a round to all ambassadors in Stranger's Bar. That has strained more than one nation's budget in the past, due to the Bar stocking a large number of very exotic, extinct and otherwise very expensive drinks.

OOC: What?
And what exactly is the World Assembly Strangers Bar all about? Is like a chatting area for many nations to chat, crack a joke, have a drink and so on, just like some of the other forums?
Also, what does "IA" stand for?

[The Anti-Social Socialists]

OOC: What?
And what exactly is the World Assembly Strangers Bar all about? Is like a chatting area for many nations to chat, crack a joke, have a drink and so on, just like some of the other forums?
Also, what does "IA" stand for?

This is the World Assembly Strangers Bar: viewtopic.php?f=9&t=367192
I assume that IA is short for the nation 'Imperium Anglorum', who has (to my memory) refrained from submitting their own repeal on this matter so that a less experienced nation may have a go. Quite noble, I say, and the job has been done well by Kranostav!

[He Qixin 2]

OOC: What?
And what exactly is the World Assembly Strangers Bar all about? Is like a chatting area for many nations to chat, crack a joke, have a drink and so on, just like some of the other forums?
Also, what does "IA" stand for?

This is the World Assembly Strangers Bar: viewtopic.php?f=9&t=367192
I assume that IA is short for the nation 'Imperium Anglorum', who has (to my memory) refrained from submitting their own repeal on this matter so that a less experienced nation may have a go. Quite noble, I say, and the job has been done well by Kranostav!

I know right! Also thanks! Next step: Repeal GAR #416.

[Imperial Polk County]

Next step: Repeal GAR #416.

Drane snorts. "Go ahead and try. Twenty-five attempts have failed so far."