Sharing Arctic Science: Applying the Common Heritage and Common Concern of Humankind in the Arctic

Abstract

Addressing climate change effectively and efficiently requires a more in-depth understanding of its impacts and the interrelationships between climate patterns around the world. Given the magnitude of climatic and oceanic changes in the Arctic, marine scientific research in this region is of particular interest to humankind as it would improve mitigation and remediation strategies. The application of the Common Heritage and Common Concern of Humankind principles to Arctic Science aims at enhancing international scientific cooperation in the Arctic and generalizing the sharing of Arctic Scientific Data and Results. Despite exhibiting inherent conceptual limitations, both concepts show potential to legally and inclusively frame the Sharing of Arctic Science for the benefit of humankind. Moreover, this application contributes to the debate on a sui generis concept reflecting the need to face future challenges of climate change for the sake of humankind.

Deep-seabed mining: an environmental concern and a holistic social environmental justice issue

“…Hence, it is not excluded that both the concepts (common concern of humankind and the principle of common heritage of mankind) could apply together, as in the case of Arctic exploration (Dervovic, 2021), considering the magnitude of climatic and oceanic changes in the Arctic. Marine scientific research and seabed mineral exploitation in this region are of particular interest to humankind, as they can improve adaptation and mitigation strategies at a planetary level.…”

“…In that sense, Russia's standing point would thus be opposite to the standing point of several politicians and legal experts who have expressed the possibility for the Arctic Ocean to follow the example of the Antarctic legal regime considering a convergence of the Antarctic mining and global atmospheric issues of greenhouse and ozone varieties as under this scenario, the global atmosphere and Antarctica would be "common property resources, " "global commons" (Herber, 1991), or a common concern of humankind. In addition, as previously explained (Section 2.1) it is not excluded that both the concept of common concerns of humankind and the principle of common heritage of mankind applies in the case of the Arctic Ocean exploitation (Dervovic, 2021) considering the magnitude of global impacts from the Arctic to the rest of the planet.…”