The Law of the Sea and Climate Change: Solutions and Constraints

Our oceans are suffering under the impacts of climate change. Despite the critical role that oceans play in climate regulation, international climate law and the law of the sea are developed as two different, largely separate, legal regimes. The main objective of this book is to assess how the law of the sea can be interpreted, developed and applied to support the objectives of the United Nations Climate Regime. By identifying the potential and constraints of the law of the sea regime in supporting and complementing the climate regime in the mitigation of and adaptation to climate change, this book offers a new perspective on the law of the sea and its capacity to evolve to respond to systemic challenges, and its potential to adapt and ensure a resilient and sustainable future.

• Presents and explains the interrelationship and interaction between the law of the sea and the United Nations climate regime in a systematic and accessible way
• Provides examples from various sectors facing regulatory challenges and presents possibilities for the law of the sea as a result of climate change
• Contributes to the development of the modern law of the sea and offers suggestions and solutions to how legal regulation can respond to new and pressing challenges