"The Arctic - Legal Considerations"

The Center for International Law at the University of Singapore recently ran a seminar on the Arctic with a presentation given by Captain J. Ashley Roach, JAGC, U.S. Navy. Captain Roach, now retired, was attorney adviser in the Office of the Legal Adviser, U.S. Department of State, from 1988 until his retirement at the end of January 2009. He was responsible for law of the sea matters.

This seminar introduced the law of the sea situation in the Arctic, and examined legal considerations. Matters covered included terminology, geography, maritime zones, maritime boundaries, extended continental shelves, routes used for international navigation, the IMO's Arctic work program, the Arctic Marine Shipping Assessment, negotiations for an Arctic search and rescue agreement and unilateral regulation in the Arctic. For Captain Roach's presentation entitled 'The Arctic - Legal Considerations', please click here.

For further details on the seminar, please click here.

Presentation on Legal Background

“The Ocean Law Daily” reports that the Centre for International Law at the National University of Singapore has made a presentation by Ashley Roach, formerly of the Legal Adviser’s office in the State Department, available online. The report covers a range of topics such as boundary disputes and sovereignty claims, the extended continental shelf, prospects for maritime navigation in the Arctic, sources of applicable law, the Arctic Marine Shipping Assessment and the role of the IMO. 

Arctic in "From Politics and Contemporary History"

The German-language journal: Aus Politik und Zeigeschichte, 5-6/2011, 31 January 2011 has devoted a whole issue to “Arctic Space”. The following are short translations of the abstracts:

Arved Fuchs

North Pole Dawning/„Nordpoldämmerung”

Arved Fuchs has been undertaking expeditions in the Arctic for over 30 years. He counts the last ten years as his most formative due to the effects of climate change: „I never thought it possible that the Arctic could change in such a major way as is currently the case.“

Christoph Humrich

Resource Conflicts, Law and Governance in the Arctic/„Ressourcenkonflikte, Recht und Regieren in der Arktis“

The expected conflicts, risks and outcomes as a result of natural resource development require regulation. Are the Arctic Council, UNCLOS and MEAs appropriate instruments or does it require a comprehensive treaty similar to the Antarctic?

Valur Ingimundarson

Mineral resources, Superpower Politics and Multilateral Governance/„Bodenschätze, Großmachtpolitik und multilaterale Governance“

It will still take decades before oil and gas extraction is actually possible in many parts of the Arctic. This has not kept the Arctic States from territorial claims. A generally accepted framework for dispute resolution has yet to be established.

Dirk Notz

The Arctic in a Changing Climate/„Die Arktis im Klimawandel“

The earth has warmed by approximately 0.75°C since before the Industrial Revolution. The increase in temperature is however not evenly distributed, but instead intense in the polar regions. This could be considered the Earth’s early warning system whose warming could have wide consequences beyond these regions.

Christoph Seidler

Traditional Arctic Inhabitants and Climate Change/„Die traditionellen Arktis-Bewohner und der Klimawandel“

Traditional Arctic inhabitants do not portray themselves as „winners“ or „losers“ of the changes in their native lands.  However, the living conditions for many are changings as a result of climate change. Hunting is becoming more dangerous while the extraction of other resources is to some extent more possible.

Matthias Hannemann

North to the Future – The Arctic and the Media/„North to the Future– die Arktis und die Medien“

The subject of the Arctic would have never become so dynamic were it not for the „Wonder of the North“ that has become so deeply anchored in our consciousness. Nonetheless, the media firmly declines to absolve itself from this dream and to come to grips with reality.