Synopsis
Our planet is facing social-ecological disruption by human activities at a scale with no parallels in human history. The impact of climate change is most visible in the Arctic, which are warming twice as fast as the rest of the planet (IPCC Special Report 2019). In recent years, the melting Arctic become rich grounds for the development of international law and governance in areas such as new shipping routes, fishing grounds, tourism and green energy transition. While every single move of great powers, e.g., the United States and China, is being scrutinized, it is noted that five out of eight Arctic Council Members – Finland, Norway, Iceland, Greenland (through Denmark) and Sweden are so-called small states.
“Small states, by their very nature, share specific concerns and common interests, such as environmental and economic vulnerabilities.”1 In today’s hyperconnected world, ecosystems, societies, and economies are linked like never before. The present, and the future, is characterised by the unprecedented movement of people, goods and products and the transfer of capital and information. Small states are therefore not necessarily only at the receiving end of international law and policy making process. In contrast, small states have been actively shaping contemporary international law and governance. The latest example is Vanuatu’s initiative to request an advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice on climate change. What happens in the Arctic do not stay in the Arctic. Vice versa, lessons from other parts of the world, such as Singapore, the founder and the Chair of the Forum of Small States (FOSS), may also be valuable to help achieve sustainability in the Arctic Region. Small states within and beyond the Arctic should and are able to play significant roles in building a peaceful and sustainable future for the Arctic through law and governance at national, regional and international level.
We invite papers that address the key question of the Workshop: How do small States engage with international law and governance to address sustainability challenges in the Arctic? Papers could be related (but not restricted to) the following sub-themes: geopolitics, technology, and climate change - three major challenges for sustainability in the Arctic.
This hybrid workshop is organised by Centre for Commercial Law in Asia, Singapore Management University.
Call for abstracts
Abstracts of no more than 250 words should be emailed to lawandsustainability@smu.edu.sg by 15 July 2024. Selected speakers will be notified by 31 July 2024. Speakers are required to submit a working paper before the Workshop by 15 November 2024. It is anticipated that at least one special issue from the Workshop will be published by a prominent journal.
Practicalities
The Workshop will be held at SMU’s state of the art Kwa Geok Choo Law Library as a hybrid event (in person + zoom). It is free of charge, though selected speakers and participants will cover their own travel and accommodation expenses.