Freedom for the seas in the 21st century

"Freedom for the Seas in the 21st Century brings together leading international experts on marine policy to address current threats to the health of the seas and to offer new approaches to the challenge of protecting our marine environment. The paradigm presented is one of ocean governance rather than of law or policy; it challenges the prevailing view that the "freedom of the seas" concept is a sacrosanct principle and calls instead for a governing notion of "freedom for the seas," where the primary goal is the protection of ecological vitality." "Topics covered include evolution and shortcomings of the current system, relation of indigenous peoples to the law of the sea, strategies for controlling ocean pollution, regulation of high-seas fishing, defects in current deep seabed mining regulatory provisions, and threats to the marine environment posed by military activities." "The authors address the fundamental structural inadequacy of current mechanisms of international law and present practical alternatives to the present system. Throughout the volume, they emphasize that slowing the destruction of our vital marine environment is the responsibility of all people: we must adopt a perspective of respect, kinship, and environmental harmony if we are to pass on to future generations our fragile and finite ocean resources."--Jacket.