Workshop "The Global Commons and Law in Transition"

Abstract

The global commons are the resource domains that lie beyond limits of national jurisdiction of States, such as the high seas, outer space, the atmosphere and, more recently, the cyber space.

There are already taking place decision-making processes and activities to access and exploit resources of the commons, which will have enormous, long-lasting and irreversible impact on the generations to come.

Although these ‘spaces’ are different, it is a common feature that they are threatened and used by individual activities of States and private actors while being a ‘global common’, something which belongs to or at least benefits the humanity as a whole.

The fair and equitable use and protection of these spaces is, therefore, intrinsically connected to the global legal order, which is safe, sustainable and peaceful. A dilemma faced by the global community is how to ensure this goal.

Consequences of climate change and lack of sfficient progress to ensure GHG reductions to meet the 1.5°C goal require development of legal solutions that would enable us to reverse and mitigate the degradation of the environment. While activities such as deep seabed mining may contribute to green and circular economy, positive impact of such activities is contested.

The governance of the ‘global commons’ raises complex issues which cannot be addressed (only) by a sector-based approach, but needs to be based on comprehensive approaches.

The workshop is meant to provide contributions from dfferent areas of Law research addressing these issues for achieving a holistic perspective and an innovative approach. In addition, the workshop encourages interdisciplinary perspectives, for example, to examine, how geopolitical and social developments influence the work towards a better legal framework to protect the global commons.