1 Introduction
Chapter 1 provides an introduction to both the anthropogenic threats facing the marine environment at the beginning of the twenty-first century and the role that international law plays in regulating humankind’s impacts on the oceans. It argues that the protection of the marine environment is a common concern of humankind, requiring the cooperation of all States in adopting appropriate international rules and standards to address the main threats to the marine environment and collective efforts to ensure the enforcement of those norms. The chapter then explains the key sources of international law that are relevant to the regulation of marine activities, highlighting the central role played by treaties, related non-binding instruments, judicial decisions, and general principles of international law. This introduction to the sources of international law provides a basic background to the more detailed analysis of specific treaties and related instruments in the remainder of the book.