Law as a tool in limiting climate change

These are the questions being asked by Associate Professor Elise Johansen at the K.G. Jebsen Centre for the Law of the Sea at the Faculty of Law,UiT. To put these issues in the spotlight, Johansen has organized the workshop “Natural Marine Resource Management in a Changing Climate” on 13-14 June at UiT in Tromsø. There will be presentations by well-known environmental and marine law experts.

How can we tackle climate change?

“Because oceans are warming and becoming more acidic, there is evidence that several fishing stocks are moving further north to the high seas. Who is entitled to fish these stocks? Should it be open to all, or should new regulations be introduced?” questions Johansen. She continues:

“Further, what about the fact that so much ice has melted in the Arctic that now during parts of the year there are open waters between Europe and Asia through the Arctic? This means that nature is likely to be subjected to greater hazards such as heavy oil pollution from shipping. This is forbidden in Antarctica, but not in the Arctic. And what about the Paris agreement: what effect does it have because all countries are committed to cutting emissions?”

Strong line-up

At the workshop there will be contributors and participants from the USA, Greece, Finland, Canada and the Netherlands, as well as Norwegian researchers. 

"We have got very good names to come and present, so we are very pleased. There will be presentations on exciting topics, all linked to the same issue: how can law help to limit and adapt the impacts of climate change” Johansen says.

Experts join voices

The KG Jebsen Centre for the Law of the Sea has collaborated with the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University in New York to arrange the workshop.

"They are experts in environmental law, and we are experts in the field of law of the sea, and now we meet in this joint project," Johansen explains.

Networking opportunities

One of the results from the workshop will be more publications on the subject, and in addition, there will be plenty of room for discussion. “It is very important to create international networks between researchers – not just for their own careers, but in order to collaborate on such global issues”, says Johansen, and encourages anyone interested to sign up for the workshop here.