Adaptive Governance in Offshore Frontiers: A Comparative Case Study for the use of Adaptive Governance Concerning Offshore Hydrocarbon Resources in the Arctic and Eastern Mediterranean Sea

• Main Author: Kebker, Paul Vant
• Other Authors: Roger, Charles, Moroff, Holger
• Format: Master Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Graduate School 2022
• Subjects: Political science; Arctic
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.17615/f52m-5075; https://cdr.lib.unc.edu/downloads/bg257r07w?file=thumbnail; https://cdr.lib.unc.edu/downloads/bg257r07w

Adaptive Governance is an environmental-based governance structure that prioritizes the coordination of resource management in complex environments experiencing social-environmental change. Two regions experiencing social-environmental change are the Arctic and Eastern Mediterranean Sea. Both regions have newly discovered hydrocarbon resources that put the current legal frameworks under pressure. This thesis conducts a comparative case study of the Arctic and Eastern Mediterranean Sea to explore how these regions are using Adaptive Governance within their legal regimes for offshore hydrocarbon resources. The thesis concludes that the Arctic region has largely incorporated the criteria for Adaptive Governance for hydrocarbon resource management. In contrast, the Eastern Mediterranean, while having incorporated some aspects of Adaptive Governance, is hindered by its territorial disputes and geopolitical conflicts. Master of Arts