The world ocean is an integral system, directly influencing the climate of the whole planet, the plant and the animal world, the processes of life and human activity. The result of the World Ocean space, its waters and resources intensive use is the problem of its protection against pollution. It is one of the new challenges and threats to the security of states. Nevertheless, of all natural objects, this most important component of the Earth hydrosphere is most exposed to pollution. Thus, according to expert estimates, most of the total amount of the world ocean pollution is conditioned by terrestrial sources, which are the least manageable by international law due to their location on the territory of a certain sovereign state. Coastal areas are exploited by a man very actively and bring the greatest economic benefit. And, thus, this zone is the center of the greatest anthropogenic impact on the waters and the living resources of the World Ocean. Entering the coastal marine areas located on the shores of industrialized countries, the amount of pollutants is so high that it can rightly be considered as a global environmental problem of an international character with a rapid movement and distribution, capable to predetermine the fate of the entire oceans. Therefore, it is quite natural that from the middle of the twentieth century this problem became a key issue for states, academic circles, international specialists and put them before the need to develop a mechanism for its international legal and national regulation as soon as possible.
International Legal Regulation of Ocean Pollution Prevention from land-Based Sources
