The Role of the Law of the Sea in Climate Change Litigation

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 141-169
Author(s):  
Elise Johansen

People around the world are turning to the courts to ensure that steps are taken to tackle climate change, using litigation as a tool to force action. An emerging trend in climate litigation is to look to other legal regimes for sources of climate obligation and there is a growing number of climate change cases looking at the relationship between human rights and climate change, and refugee law and climate change. This paper looks at the role of the law of the sea regime in climate change cases, in which some connections to ocean issues are identified – either because the activities that contribute to GHG emissions takes place in the ocean space, or because the effects are felt there. One main finding is that that the use of the law of the sea-based rights and obligations is almost non-existent in climate litigation. Another main finding, based on an analysis of one of the relevant cases, namely the Norwegian Climate Change Case, is that the general obligations established by section 1 of Part XII of the LOSC represent an untapped resource to legal obligations in climate litigation.

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 160-178
Author(s):  
Piseth Chann

ABSTRAKEksploitasi terhadap tenaga kerja di laut lepas, khususnya ABK, masih sering terjadi. Meskipun tidak diatur secara spesifik, keselamatan dan keamanan ABK dapat dikaitkan dengan KHL PBB 1982, Pasal 94. Tujuan dari kajian ini adalah untuk menjelaskan keterkaitan Pasal 94 KHL dengan perlindungan terhadap ABK, peran IMO terhadap keselamatan dan keamanan ABK, dan kerja sama antara IMO dan ILO dalam menangani masalah eksploitasi sumber daya manusia dalam pelayaran internasional. Dari kajian ini dapat dijelaskan bahwa dalam KHL PBB 1982, Pasal 94 Ayat 2 (b) dan 3 (b) terdapat kewajiban yang dibebankan kepada Negara Bendera untuk ikut bertanggung jawab jika ABK mendapatkan suatu masalah. Sementara itu, sebagai agen khusus PBB, IMO telah mengadopsi satu Kode Manajemen Internasional dengan tujuan untuk memastikan keselamatan manusia dan menghindari kerusakan lingkungan laut. IMO, ILO dan Ad Hoc juga membentuk kerja sama tripartit untuk mengatur hal-hal yang berkaitan dengan ketenagakerjaan di laut. Kata Kunci: anak buah kapal; IMO; ILO; keselamatan dan keamanan ABSTRACTExploitation of workers on the high seas, especially the ship's crew, is still common. Although not specifically regulated, the safety and security of the ship's crew can be linked to the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), Article 94. The purpose of this study is to explain the relationship between Article 94 UNCLOS and the protection of ship's crew, the role of International Maritime Organization (IMO) in the safety and security of ship's crew, and cooperation between IMO and ILO in dealing with the problem of exploitation of human resources in international shipping. From this study, it can be explained that in the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, Article 94 Paragraphs 2 (b) and 3 (b) there was an obligation imposed on the Flag State to take responsibility if the ship's crew had a problem. Meanwhile, as a UN special agent, IMO has adopted an International Management Code to ensure human safety and avoid damage to the marine environment. IMO, ILO and Ad Hoc also formed tripartite cooperation to regulate matters related to employment at sea.Keywords: ILO; IMO; security and safety; ship's crew


2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (12) ◽  
pp. 145-148
Author(s):  
E. S. Orlova

The paper is devoted to the cooperation of international judicial bodies operating based on the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea This cooperation is determined by the Convention, which sets out four procedures for the resolution of international maritime disputes. The relevance of the paper is determined by the important role of international judicial bodies in resolving international maritime disputes by amicable means. The subject of the study is the relationship between international judicial authorities on the interpretation and application of the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. The purpose of the paper is to determine the rules of law on cooperation of international judicial bodies considering international maritime disputes based on the Convention on the Law of the Sea. The hypothesis of the study is that the cooperation of international judicial bodies operating within the framework of a single legal regime causes competition among the jurisdictions of international judicial bodies and is productive.


2012 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 831-838 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alan Boyle

Abstract The Law of the Sea Convention was negotiated at a time when climate change was not yet part of the international environmental agenda. Nevertheless, it is not a static or immutable legal regime and it is not difficult to apply Part XII to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and climate change insofar as they affect the marine environment. However, it is doubtful whether viewing climate change from the perspective of the law of the marine environment greatly alters the overall picture. At best it provides a vehicle for compulsory dispute settlement notably lacking in the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) regime. Realistically, while the 1982 Convention may import any newly agreed standards for the control of GHGs, it is not a substitute for further agreement within the UNFCCC framework.


2004 ◽  
Vol 53 (1) ◽  
pp. 47-77 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Barnes

Coping with refugees arriving by sea is a problem that has existed for a number of years.1 Throughout this period the crux of the matter has remained the same, reconciling the humanitarian plight of refugees and asylum-seekers with the destination States' concerns about illegal immigration, mass migrations of people, and the costs of asylum. The boarding of the Tampa by Australian SAS troops in August 2001, in order to prevent the disembarkation of 433 asylum-seekers on Christmas Island, has once again brought into sharp focus the acute tension created between competing legal norms, and between moral and legal considerations. What are the rights of vessels and people in distress under the 1982 Convention on the Law of the Sea and other maritime agreements? How do commercial considerations affect the obligation to assist those in distress at sea? What are the rights of refugees under the 1951 Refugee Convention and other human rights instruments? What are the powers of a coastal State to protect itself from threats to national security in its coastal waters? This article examines the legal obligations incumbent upon coastal States and flag States in respect of asylum-seekers rescued at sea and seeks to answer these questions. It goes on to suggest that the law in respect of search, rescue, and refuge is highly unsatisfactory because a number of key obligations are poorly defined and inadequately implemented. It alsoseems clear that insufficient weight is given to humanitarian considerations. Finally, consideration is given to possible solutions to the problem.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joanna Mossop ◽  
Clive Schofield

In the negotiations for the new treaty on biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction (BBNJ), a fundamental question will be the relationship between the regime for areas beyond national jurisdiction (ABNJ) and areas under coastal State jurisdiction. Adjacency has been raised as a concept that might assist in bridging these areas. It has been suggested that adjacency is a legal principle that could give coastal States additional rights or responsibility in relation to biodiversity in ABNJ proximate to their own national maritime jurisdictions. However, there has never been an accepted principle in the law of the sea that coastal States have priority over other States in ABNJ. We propose that due regard is a more appropriate lens to address this issue and one that would be consistent with existing principles under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). References to adjacent coastal States can be found in the draft text considered by the Intergovernmental Conference. The article analyses challenges arise in defining adjacent States as well as applying due regard to elements of the package. It considers the use of adjacency in the draft texts issued for the third and fourth sessions of the Intergovernmental Conference, as well as proposals made by delegates.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joanna Mossop ◽  
Clive Schofield

In the negotiations for the new treaty on biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction (BBNJ), a fundamental question will be the relationship between the regime for areas beyond national jurisdiction (ABNJ) and areas under coastal State jurisdiction. Adjacency has been raised as a concept that might assist in bridging these areas. It has been suggested that adjacency is a legal principle that could give coastal States additional rights or responsibility in relation to biodiversity in ABNJ proximate to their own national maritime jurisdictions. However, there has never been an accepted principle in the law of the sea that coastal States have priority over other States in ABNJ. We propose that due regard is a more appropriate lens to address this issue and one that would be consistent with existing principles under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). References to adjacent coastal States can be found in the draft text considered by the Intergovernmental Conference. The article analyses challenges arise in defining adjacent States as well as applying due regard to elements of the package. It considers the use of adjacency in the draft texts issued for the third and fourth sessions of the Intergovernmental Conference, as well as proposals made by delegates.


Author(s):  
András Sajó ◽  
Renáta Uitz

This chapter examines the relationship between parliamentarism and the legislative branch. It explores the evolution of the legislative branch, leading to disillusionment with the rationalized law-making factory, a venture run by political parties beyond the reach of constitutional rules. The rise of democratically bred party rule is positioned between the forces favouring free debate versus effective decision-making in the legislature. The chapter analyses the institutional make-up and internal operations of the legislature, the role of the opposition in the legislative assembly, and explores the benefits of bicameralism for boosting the powers of the legislative branch. Finally, it looks at the law-making process and its outsourcing via delegating legislative powers to the executive.


Author(s):  
Ingvild Ulrikke Jakobsen ◽  
Elise Johansen ◽  
Philipp Peter Nickels

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-29
Author(s):  
Jette Steen Knudsen ◽  
Jeremy Moon

We investigate the relationship of corporate social responsibility (CSR) (often assumed to reflect corporate voluntarism) and government (often assumed to reflect coercion). We distinguish two broad perspectives on the CSR and government relationship: the dichotomous (i.e., government and CSR are / should be independent of one another) and the related (i.e., government and CSR are / should be interconnected). Using typologies of CSR public policy and of CSR and the law, we present an integrated framework for corporate discretion for engagement with public policy for CSR. We make four related contributions. First, we explain the dichotomous and the related perspectives with reference to their various assumptions and analyses. Second, we demonstrate that public policy for CSR and corporate discretion coexist and interact. Specifically, we show, third, that public policy for CSR can inform and stimulate corporate discretion and, fourth, that corporations have discretion for CSR, particularly as to how corporations engage with such policy.


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