UNCLOS and the Development of International Environmental Law

ISBN-13: 9781036462369 / Twarda / 2026

Charles Quince

Opis

The ocean covers 70% of Earth's surface yet remains dangerously underprotected. This groundbreaking analysis examines how the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)—hailed as a "constitution for the oceans"—must evolve to address unprecedented environmental crises: marine plastic pollution forming continent-sized garbage patches, ocean acidification threatening entire ecosystems, and sea-level rise that could displace 630 million people by 2100.Through detailed case studies spanning deep-sea mining controversies, Arctic climate governance, and Mediterranean conservation successes, the author develops the Integrated Maritime Environmental Governance (IMEG) framework—a blueprint for transforming twentieth-century sovereignty-based ocean law into planetary stewardship adequate for Anthropocene challenges. Drawing on institutional analysis, Earth system science, and comparative legal history, this work demonstrates that comprehensive reform is both economically feasible and environmentally imperative. Essential reading for scholars, policymakers, and anyone concerned about humanity's relationship with the ocean systems upon which all life depends.