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2. Plastic Pollution in Seas and Oceans: Challenges and Responses
- Author:
- Konstantinos Topouzelis and Ifigeneia Tsakalogianni
- Publication Date:
- 09-2024
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy (ELIAMEP)
- Abstract:
- Plastic pollution is a serious global problem, with significant environmental, health and economic impacts. The need for global action is imperative, as plastic pollution affects all levels of society and ecosystems. The lack of strict regulations on the production, use and disposal of plastics, as well as weak enforcement and imposition of penalties are some of the main reasons for the increase in plastic pollution. Implementing policies to promote the circular economy is critical, with the aim of reducing plastic waste generation and increasing recycling. The planning of the response to the problem requires the creation of a mechanism for observing and tracing plastics, i.e. recording the current situation in a scientific and indisputable way. Cost-effective solutions, such as incentives to use biodegradable materials and the development of innovative recycling methods, need to be promoted. Enhancing environmental education and public awareness is essential to change behaviors and promote sustainable consumption practices. International cooperation is needed to create common standards and rules and cooperative inspection and enforcement mechanisms, as plastic pollution is a cross-border issue. Governments must support research and development of new technologies to reduce plastic litter and clean up the oceans. Imposing taxes and fees on plastic products will reduce their use and fund initiatives to protect the environment. A flexible, adaptive institutional framework, stricter enforcement of laws by strengthening administrative capacity to enforce rules and imposing penalties with the cooperation of all actors involved are needed, with the common goal of reducing the “plastic footprint”.
- Topic:
- Environment, Pollution, and Plastic
- Political Geography:
- Oceans
3. China’s Territorial Claim at South China Sea: A Strategic Competition with USA and its Implications
- Author:
- Kanwal Hayat and Rehana Saeed Hashmi
- Publication Date:
- 07-2019
- Content Type:
- Journal Article
- Journal:
- South Asian Studies
- Institution:
- Department of Political Science, University of the Punjab
- Abstract:
- China claims South China Sea as its sovereign domain where it possesses the right to intervene militarily and economically. However, USA considers South China Sea as a common global passage where rule of law and freedom of navigation should prevail.These diverging viewpoints coexist in a wobbly peace environment where both US and China want their own version of international law to be applied and have occasionally resorted to minor armed conflicts over this issue. Every state claiming authority over South China Sea is willing to use coercion in order to get what they want, however, the extent of how far they are willing to go is not clear. This is resulting in a show of gunboat diplomacy involving maritime force of influential states that strives to manipulate the policy makers of the relevant nations (Costlow, 2012). The paper will focus on the situation in the South China Sea. South China Sea is not only claimed by China but various other Asian nations. Does this territorial strife possess the power to turn the region into a war zone? Being one of the most active trade routes in the world having complicated geography and the diverging regional and international interests makes it very sensitive area. China being the emerging economic giant gives competition to the USA in many spheres. Although America has no territorial claim in the South China Sea, it has strategic and economic interests. Where China wants a complete hegemonic control of the area, USA wants to find a way where free unchecked trade could be the future for all.Accompanied with numerous other South Asian nations claiming various portions of the region, a constant tension exists in the region.
- Topic:
- Conflict Prevention, Economics, International Trade and Finance, Sovereignty, Territorial Disputes, Hegemony, and Conflict
- Political Geography:
- China, Asia, North America, United States of America, and Oceans
4. Let the Pacific Islands Co-Design Solutions to Climate Change
- Author:
- Fale Andrew Lesa
- Publication Date:
- 11-2019
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- Georgetown Journal of International Affairs
- Abstract:
- Beyond the palm trees and crystal-blue waters of a South Pacific paradise lies an ecosystem on the brink of collapse. But for native Samoans like myself, this is hardly a surprise. Subtle changes to the local environment have been appearing for decades now. First, the Samoan community noticed differences in the soil quality (making it harder to grow crops), the fresh water supply, local fisheries, and eventually even personal safety, with natural disasters becoming ever more frequent and far more fatal. Agriculture and tourism are the two largest industries, and fears of an impending climate crisis could threaten the backbone of our economy, denying future generations much needed growth and development. Climate justice—like its sister, social justice—is underpinned by the idea that the poorest of the poor, and the most remote, are the first to lose. In the Pacific, these communities are predominantly indigenous.
- Topic:
- Climate Change, Environment, Natural Resources, Water, and Justice
- Political Geography:
- Asia-Pacific, Samoa, and Oceans
5. Ocean Floor Grab: International Law and the Making of an Extractive Imaginary
- Author:
- Surabhi Ranganathan
- Publication Date:
- 04-2019
- Content Type:
- Journal Article
- Abstract:
- In this article, I argue for a critical recognition of the law of the sea, as it developed from the post-war period, as fostering a ‘grab’ of the ocean floor via national jurisdiction and international administration. I discuss why we should view what might be discussed otherwise as an ‘enclosure’ or ‘incorporation’ of the ocean floor within the state system as its grab. I then trace the grounds on which the ocean was brought within national and international regimes: the ocean floor’s geography and economic value. Both were asserted as givens – that is, as purely factual, but they were, in fact, reified through law. The article thus calls attention to the law’s constitutive effects. I examine the making of this law, showing that law-making by governments was influenced by acts of representation and narrative creation by many non-state actors. It was informed by both economic and non-economic influences, including political solidarity and suspicion, and parochial as well as cosmopolitan urges. Moreover, the law did not develop gradually or consistently. In exploring its development, I bring into focus the role played by one influential group of actors – international lawyers themselves.
- Topic:
- Economics, International Law, History, Law of the Sea, and Maritime
- Political Geography:
- Europe and Oceans
6. The Littoral World
- Author:
- Howard J. Fuller
- Publication Date:
- 07-2015
- Content Type:
- Journal Article
- Journal:
- Fletcher Security Review
- Institution:
- The Fletcher School, Tufts University
- Abstract:
- The role of seapower in nurturing American security and prosperity has long been exaggerated, if not wholly misrepresented. Throughout the nineteenth century, the nation’s first generations of leaders exhibited a healthy skepticism toward free trade and the maritime hegemony of the British Empire. By focusing on domination of the country’s littoral space during the Civil War, the U.S. Navy succeeded in shielding the Union from European interference. It was not the assumption of the British mantle that safeguarded the nation; rather, U.S. preeminence was secured by rejection of maritime overreach. Strong anti-British tariffs and industrial protectionism were the cornerstones of sustained commercial growth and genuine national independence. The unique problem with seapower, even in the contemporary period, is how easily we can glorify it. We love the sea, and mighty ships, and we tend to flaunt what we love, but this relationship has no place in a grand strategy that acknowledges the limited historical contribution of free trade to the American economy.
- Topic:
- Security, History, Economy, Maritime, Oceans and Seas, Trade, and Seapower
- Political Geography:
- Britain, North America, United States of America, and Oceans
7. Trading Security: A Case Study on Maritime Security Decision Points in the Context of Global Trade
- Author:
- Caroline Troein and Anne Moulakis
- Publication Date:
- 01-2015
- Content Type:
- Journal Article
- Journal:
- Fletcher Security Review
- Institution:
- The Fletcher School, Tufts University
- Abstract:
- The term maritime security often evokes destroyers and aircraft carriers, disputes over territorial waters or islands, or piracy and terrorist attacks such as the USS Cole bombing in 2000. High profile crises can lead us to forget that maritime security is an everyday event; it is about enabling safe transit. Each step within the maritime transport of goods has security challenges and considerations. At the same time, the continued stability and effectiveness of maritime trade is itself a broader security matter of importance to consumers, businesses, and governments. With the “weaponization of finance” maritime trade will play a central role in economic actions being taken out of geopolitical concerns.
- Topic:
- Security, Maritime Commerce, Territorial Disputes, Geopolitics, Maritime, and Trade
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus and Oceans
8. Privateers! Their History and Future
- Author:
- Alexander Tabarrok and Alex Nowrasteh
- Publication Date:
- 01-2015
- Content Type:
- Journal Article
- Journal:
- Fletcher Security Review
- Institution:
- The Fletcher School, Tufts University
- Abstract:
- Government employment of private military firms is not a new phenomenon. During the Age of Sail, naval powers issued privateering licenses to shipowners, allowing and encouraging them to raid enemy commerce and attack foreign navies during times of war – a system that bears several similarities to modern military contracting. But private enterprise did not go to war in a legal vacuum. How do countries make the incentives for private security firms align with national policy in the 21st century?
- Topic:
- History, Maritime Commerce, Economy, and Trade
- Political Geography:
- Britain, Global Focus, United States of America, and Oceans
9. A Useful Pause in Arctic Drilling
- Author:
- Bruce M. Everett
- Publication Date:
- 09-2015
- Content Type:
- Journal Article
- Journal:
- Fletcher Security Review
- Institution:
- The Fletcher School, Tufts University
- Abstract:
- Until last year, drilling for oil in the Arctic was the subject of considerable discussion focused not only on the potential impacts of Arctic resources on the oil market, but also on the environmental and geopolitical implications of opening this area to development. Prospects for Arctic drilling dimmed considerably in 2015 when Shell decided to abandon its ambitious drilling efforts in the Burger Field in the Chukchi Sea, writing off several billion dollars in the process. The recent collapse in oil prices has probably put a stop to Arctic drilling for the time being, and this pause may prove useful in resolving some of the outstanding issues.
- Topic:
- Environment, Oil, Natural Resources, Geopolitics, and Maritime
- Political Geography:
- Russia, Canada, Norway, Denmark, Greenland, Arctic, United States of America, and Oceans