Marine Pollution in the Arctic Region: What Future for Civil liability? - The need for a Comprehensive liability scheme

• Main Author: Schütte, Béatrice
• Other Authors: Aarhus University Aarhus, Patrick Chaumette, European Project: 340770,Human Sea
• Format: Book Part
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 2019
• Subjects: marine pollution; Arctic region; future; civil liability; comprehensive liability scheme; pollution marine; Océan arctique; avenir; responsabilité civile; régime de responsabilité globale; [SHS.DROIT]Humanities and Social Sciences/Law; [SHS]Humanities and Social Sciences; Arctic; Arctique*; Global warming; Océan Arctique; Sea ice
• Online Access: https://shs.hal.science/halshs-02398359; https://shs.hal.science/halshs-02398359/document; https://shs.hal.science/halshs-02398359/file/26-CAP24.pdf

International audience In the Arctic, global warming and the consequential decrease of sea ice facilitated new exploitation options. Additional shipping routes and easier access to natural resources mean economic benefits. At the same time, it is crucial to protect the fragile environment from detrimental hazards as it plays an important role as a regulator for the climate worldwide. Pollution incidents in the coherent marine region endanger not only the environment as such but also the livelihood of about four million people. While marine environmental pollution as such is addressed in many international conventions, civil liability in this regard is only scarcely regulated on international level-especially concerning issues other than vessel source oil pollution-. Based on the idea that civil liability rules can have a preventive effect and thus contribute to the protection of the marine environment, this paper aims at examining the possibilities of establishing a comprehensive framework on civil liability for damage arising from marine pollution in the Arctic. Potential injured parties being exposed to the same risk shall also have the possibility to obtain compensation under the same set of rules, irrespectively of their country of residence. Dans l'Arctique, le réchauffement global et par conséquent la dé-gradation de la glace marine facilitent de nouvelles possibilités d'exploitation. De nouvelles routes navigables et un accès plus facile aux ressources naturelles induisent de nouvelles opportunités de profits économiques. En même temps, la protection de cet environnement fragile contre les effets néfastes des activités humaines en mer est indispensable car l'Arctique est aussi un agent régulateur du climat mondial. Les risques d'incidents entraînant une pollution dans cette région ne mettent pas uniquement en danger l'environnement lui-même, ils ont un impact sur les moyens d'existence de quelque quatre millions d'habitants. Bien que la pollution de l'environnement marin soit prévue par plusieurs ...