Law of the Sea Commons^™

Maritime Security Governance: Indonesia, Malaysia, And Singapore’S Approach Towards The Proliferation Security Initiative, Sumathy Permal

International Law Studies

Maritime security governance of a strategic strait is a unique exercise that presents formidable complexity for States bordering the strait. These waterways often have choke points the proper management of which is critical for the safe passage of commercial and military vessels. The focus of this article is on the Straits of Malacca (SOM) as a strategic maritime passage that is subject to multiple interests involving governance, military, and commercial aspects. This article seeks to examine maritime security governance approaches by Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore towards the Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI).

The littoral States bordering the SOM bear the responsibility …

Anatomy Of China’S Maritime Strategy: Threatening The Maritime Order Through Its National Legislation And Self-Centered Interpretation Of Unclos, Shigeki Sakamoto

International Law Studies

While the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) establishes an objective framework for the coordinated handling of the use of the sea by States in the exercise of their legislative, judicial, and executive powers, China’s legislative bodies, in enacting domestic laws for the fulfillment of treaty obligations, distort obligations in its domestic laws to secure their own national interests. For example, Article 6.2 of China’s Territorial Sea Law violates articles of UNCLOS by denying the right of innocent passage. In addition, China is extending its jurisdiction over security to the contiguous zone with Article 13 …

A Fraying Patchwork Quilt: International Law And Plastic Pollution, Dr. Gerry Nagtzaam

Villanova Environmental Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Indo-Pacific Conflicts Will Be Reimagined In Outer Space Exploration, Michael Incorvaia

Seattle Journal of Technology, Environmental & Innovation Law

This article will focus on the effects of international treaties and how they can be utilized to govern the future of outer space exploration. The discussion will include evaluating how modern changes in technology have created a need for updated outer space-specific treaties to ensure that outer space does not become a contentious zone between countries. This article will begin by exploring the developments in outer space that have created a new space race. Then, it will discuss the Indo-Pacific conflict and why the current multilateral treaty strategy that is used in the region will not be effective in outer …

Governance Of Ocean-Based Carbon Dioxide Removal Research Under The United Nations Conventions On The Law Of The Sea, Wil Burns

Maine Law Review

There has been a spate of research in recent years indicating that achievement of the temperature objectives of the Paris Agreement can only be effectuated through both aggressive decarbonization of the global economy and large-scale deployment of so-called carbon dioxide removal (CDR) approaches. While much of the early focus of CDR research was on terrestrial options, such as afforestation, direct air capture, and bioenergy with carbon capture and storage, more recently, many in the scientific and policy community have increasingly focused on potential ocean-based approaches, including ocean fertilization, ocean alkalinity enhancement, macroalgae harvesting, and ocean upwelling and downwelling. However, while …

Marine Law Symposium: Can Offshore Wind Development Have A Net Positive Impact On Biodiversity? Regulatory And Scientific Perspectives And Considerations April 20-21, 2023, Roger Williams University School Of Law Marine Affairs Institute, The Nature Conservancy

School of Law Conferences, Lectures & Events

No abstract provided.

Russia’S Attack On Ukraine: The Montreux Convention And Turkiye, Yücel Acer

International Law Studies

The straits of Çanakkale and İstanbul and the Sea of Marmara, known as the Turkish Straits, together constitute a single waterway that connects the Black Sea to the Mediterranean and the rest of the world's oceans. These maritime passages have always been significant enough to constitute the subject of power struggles between major powers and has therefore been a subject of various international regulations.

The existing international accord regulating the passage though the Turkish Straits is the 1936 Montreux Convention on Straits. The Convention establishes the right to freedom of passage for all ships. It also addresses the security concerns …

Building Capacity In The Law Of The Sea: The Imo International Maritime Law Institute’S Experience, Ángeles Jiménez García-Carriazo

International Law Studies

Although the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) does not make any express reference to capacity-building, scientific and technological development is a centerpiece of the Convention. In 1982, UNCLOS established a comprehensive legal framework for ocean-related activities with a latent and inexorable link to capacity-building through the transfer of technology, scientific and technical assistance, knowledge sharing, and cooperation and collaboration. Building capacity in the law of the sea enables States to benefit from the conservation and sustainable use of the oceans and seas and their resources. In the absence of expertise to incorporate and effectively implement …

“Nationals” At Forty: From An Undefined Unclos Term To Due Diligence Obligations On The State Of Nationality To Combat Iuu Fishing, Arron N. Honniball, Valentin J. Schatz

International Law Studies

Illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing represents a global common concern, incorporating large-scale and highly mobile environmental, economic, and sometimes criminal, concerns. IUU fishing can result in dysfunctional fisheries governance, including through the non-application of relevant conservation and management measures. Non-application results, in part, from both incomplete implementation and insufficient enforcement by flag, coastal, port, and market States, and the States of nationality. This article focuses on the State of nationality that may exercise territorial and extraterritorial prescriptive jurisdiction on the basis of the active personality principle of jurisdiction. Firstly, global instruments have long held the State of nationality as …

Untethering Umvs From Vessels: Why The United States Should Construct A New Environmental Legal Scheme For Unmanned Maritime Vehicles, Lindsay I. Mccarl

Dickinson Law Review (2017-Present)

International and domestic laws and regulations, and in particular those addressing environmental protections related to the world’s oceans, have no clear application to unmanned maritime vehicles (UMVs). Instead, legal scholars have attempted to fit UMVs into current legal schemes in a piecemeal manner that UMVs practically and realistically cannot comply with. UMVs are inherently different than their manned counterparts and therefore require a unique legal framework separate and apart from manned vessels. Without its own legal scheme, the United States Navy and other organizations will not be able to realize the full potential of UMVs—not only for their military operational …

Marine Law Symposium: Can Offshore Wind Development Have A Net Positive Impact On Biodiversity? Regulatory And Scientific Perspectives And Considerations, April 20-21, 2023, Roger Williams University School Of Law

School of Law Conferences, Lectures & Events

No abstract provided.

Litigation To Protect The Marine Environment: Parallels And Synergies With Climate Litigation, Randall S. Abate, Nadine Nadow, Hayley-Bo Dorrian-Bak

William & Mary Environmental Law and Policy Review

The world’s oceans are in crisis. Climate change impacts, biodiversity loss, plastic pollution, fisheries collapse, impacts to marine mammals, and vessel-based pollution are among the many threats the marine environment faces today. Fish biomass is predicted to drop by 3% to 25% by the end of the century due to climate change. Worse still, the amount of plastic in the world’s aquatic ecosystems is on track to hit 23 to 37 million tons per year by 2040.

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This Article reviews recent successes and obstacles in using litigation as a tool to address these concerns across several contexts in the …

Endnotes

Sustainable Development Law & Policy

No abstract provided.

Using Federal Public Lands To Model A New Energy Future: Why The Biden Administration Should Prioritize Renewable Energy Development On Public Lands, Meghen Sullivan

Sustainable Development Law & Policy

Oil and gas extraction on public lands and waters is responsible for twenty percent of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. If American public lands were their own country, they would be the fifth-largest greenhouse gas emitter in the world. As of 2020, only twenty percent of total U.S. electricity generation came from renewable energy sources. While renewable energy development on public lands has increased, most renewable energy comes from private lands. However, public lands contain immense renewable energy potential; for example, it is estimated that half of this country’s geothermal resources are found on public lands. Despite underutilized renewable energy potential …

Crumbling Crown Jewels: Addressing The Impact Of Recreational Overuse In America's National Parks, Ellen Spicer

Sustainable Development Law & Policy

National Parks are the “crown jewels” of America. However, in recent years they have become subjected to rampant overcrowding and overuse, so much so that they are being loved to death. The 1916 National Park Service (“NPS”) Organic Act calls for the conservation of “the scenery and the natural and historic objects and the wild life . . . and to provide for the enjoyment of the same in such manner and by such means as will leave [park sites] unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations.” Due to increased visitation, one of the mandates of the NPS is being …

Pedal Into The Future, Elliot Wiley

Sustainable Development Law & Policy

Congress severely weakened the Electric Bicycle Incentive Kickstart for the Environment Act (E-Bike Act) when the bill was absorbed into the Build Back Better Bill. Electricity is the future, yet Congress has defanged a bill that could create significant progress in making bicycling a more accessible option for commuters.

Making Room For The Past In The Future: Managing Urban Development With Cultural Heritage Preservation, Kubra Guzin Babaturk

Sustainable Development Law & Policy

Few would disagree that art and architecture are indispensable aspects of the collective human experiences. But can there be “too much” of it? How much is “too much?” Could art and cultural heritage be a hindrance to progress, urbanization, and sustainability? Which art is worth saving? A growing question is how to balance and reconcile expanding urban needs with efforts to preserve cultural heritage. Many cities across the global face this fresh moral dilemma. Cities like Istanbul, Rome, and Cairo––heirs to great empires, with history and art cursing through every alley, are still modern-day metropolises, with ever-burgeoning populations and social …

Toward A Utah Intentionally Created Surplus Program, Devin Stelter

Sustainable Development Law & Policy

The Colorado River Basin continues to face a now two decade-long drought sparked by the drastic effects of climate change on the region. Climate forecasting predicts that the adverse effects of climate change will only increase in severity in years to come. These effects have led federal, state, tribal, and private actors operating in the basin to search for innovative and effective solutions to the significant water scarcity problems that will persist into the future. A closely linked threat stemming from Colorado River water scarcity is the prospect of a “Compact call” on Upper Basin water by the Lower Basin …

About Sdlp, Sdlp

Sustainable Development Law & Policy

The Sustainable Development Law & Policy Brief (ISSN 1552-3721) is a student-run initiative at American University Washington College of Law that is published twice each academic year. The Brief embraces an interdisciplinary focus to provide a broad view of current legal, political, and social developments. It was founded to provide a forum for those interested in promoting sustainable economic development, conservation, environmental justice, and biodiversity throughout the world.

Editor's Note, Juliette Jackson, Bailey Nickoloff

Sustainable Development Law & Policy

The Sustainable Development Law and Policy Brief (“SDLP”) is celebrating twenty-two years of legal scholarship on issues related to environmental, energy, natural resources, and international development law. SDLP continues to provide cutting-edge solutions to these legal issues in the face of the global COVID-19 Pandemic, while also transitioning back into a “new normal.” This issue is no different, as we published articles challenging our lawmakers and policy heads to address the impending needs of our communities to develop more sustainable infrastructure—needs that are only exacerbated by man-made climate change. We are proud of the work published, and we are forever …