The contribution analyses the reform of Art. 9 of the Italian Constitution, whereas it establishes the duty of the State “to protect the environment, biodiversity and ecosystems, also for future generations, referring to the legislator the authority to enact animal protection legislation.” The comment touches upon a few key aspects of the reform: its framing within the critical systems thinking ...

Land-based pollution represents the single most important cause of marine pollution. The threat of land-based pollution to the marine environment is a serious one since it mainly affects coastal waters, which are sites of high biological productivity. The occurrence of high concentrations of pollutants in the Arctic environment has been a concern for many years.. Regional and international actions ...

The global demand for aquaculture products is rising, driven by declining wild fisheries, food security, and blue economy policies and initiatives, suggesting that aquaculture is significant for a sustainable future, despite its negative environmental impacts. Here we investigate the role of law in accelerating the transition towards sustainable aquaculture activities. We use the EU taxonomy for ...

The rapid changes in both climate and human activity occurring in the Arctic Ocean demands improved knowledge about this region. Combined with eased accessibility due to reduced sea ice cover and new technologies, this has led to increased research activity in the region. These circumstances put pressure on the applicable legal framework, i.e. the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. ...

Law and science are both crucial for effective and legitimate decision-making in the Arctic. Yet their interaction is not always successful. This contribution discusses the various ways in which the law of the sea interacts with science in the geographical context of the Arctic, by looking at the references to science in the text of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the sea; the influence ...

How unmanned aerial vehicles challenge the regime of marine scientific research under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea – and how they nevertheless may be accommodated

The purpose of this thesis is to present an insight in Norway’s and Belgium’s (renewable) energy policy choices through the evaluation of their development of offshore wind farms. This discussion will look how these two differing states are trying to meet the renewable energy targets at national and EU-level through the development of offshore wind farms, how they have made offshore wind power policy ...

January 1, 2017 the International Code for Ships Operating in Polar Waters (the Polar Code) will enter into force. The Polar Code is the result of enduring efforts by the international community, and is characterized as a “historic milestone” in the work of the IMO to establish a unified system for polar navigation. The purpose of this paper is to submit an assessment of the Polar Code in the context ...

The thesis discusses the legal challenges with the use of two different types of armed teams for on board ship protection against piracy. These include vessel protection detachments (VPDs) and private maritime security company guards (PMSC guards). The thesis is split into three sections beginning with a section on the past for the solutions originally envisioned by the LOSC to repress piracy. In ...

This paper explores the legal framework brought forward by the Equitable and Reasonable Utilization Principle (ERUP) over transboundary waters and questions its relevance to the establishment of agreements between riparian States that are resilient to climate change and its related upcoming challenges. By investigating major legal texts in international water law, this thesis describes the content ...