International Governance of the Arctic Marine Environment: With Particular Emphasis on High Seas Fisheries (Hamburg Studies on Maritime Affairs Book 27)

The Arctic is particularly affected by climate change; over the past few decades, temperatures in this area have risen twice as fast as the mean global rate. The most prominent effect of global climate change in the region is the melting sea ice in the Arctic Ocean, which enables a multitude of ocean uses to be initiated and extended, such as shipping, fishing and oil and gas extraction. Unlike in the Antarctic, there is currently no single comprehensive legal regime for governance of the Arctic. Instead, the region is regulated by a patchwork of international treaties, above all the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), various regional and sub-regional agreements, national laws and soft-law agreements. This treatise provides an evaluation of the governance regime that regulates the use of the Arctic marine environment and its readiness to protect these fragile ecosystems in light of the consequences of climate change. Front Matter....Pages i-xiv Introduction....Pages 1-3 Environmental Situation in the Arctic....Pages 5-41 International Governance of the Arctic Marine Environment....Pages 43-195 Possible Ways for Enhancement....Pages 197-225 Summary....Pages 227-232 Back Matter....Pages 233-251 Introduction -- Environmental Situation In The Arctic -- International Governance Of The Arctic Marine Environment -- Possible Ways For Enhancement. Lilly Weidemann. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 233-251).