Ahead of the UN Climate Conference (COP28) in Dubai commencing at the end of this month, Dr Mitchell Lennan (AUCEL, ACCPIL) has co-edited a Special Issue in the International Journal of Marine and Coastal Law titled 'Ocean-based Climate Action and Human Rights' together with Professor Elisa Morgera (University of Strathclyde, Director of the UKRI GCRF One Ocean Hub).
The special issue emerged from the fact that despite international knowledge of climate change impacts on the ocean since the 1990s, it was only included formally in United Nations Climate negotiations in 2021. Against that background, it addresses priority research questions identified on the basis of the interdependencies of human rights, the climate and the ocean in several international processes and fora. The special issue includes two inter-disciplinary articles across the marine, social and legal sciences, and international law articles by early-career researchers.
Mitchell co-authored two articles within the special issue. The first, titled ‘Ocean-based Climate Action and Human Rights Implications under the International Climate Change Regime’ concludes with the novel proposition to develop a multi-actor coalition across different international treaties and United Nations bodies to ‘protect and restore the ocean’s contributions to climate regulation, human well-being and planetary health’. The second, titled ‘International Legal Responses for Protecting Fishers’ Fundamental Rights Impacted by a Changing Ocean’ focuses on the fact that fishers are directly impacted by climate change and then questions whether international law provides a supporting framework for the protection of fisheries in the context of a changing ocean.
The special issue is published open-access and can be read online and a blog post summarising the key research findings of the special issue is also available online. Mitchell will be attending COP28 as part of the University of Aberdeen Delegation and looks forward to disseminating the findings from the special issue with stakeholders during his participation at various side events.
