Arctic Governance and Law

From

31.7.2025

5 cr

Face-to-face

- Significance of Environmental Law in the Arctic - International regulations and cases applicable to the Arctic - Evolution of United Nations Climate Regime (including UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, Kyoto Protocol and Paris Agreement) and the obligations of Arctic states towards them - The history of the international law of the sea and the contemporary legal regime governing maritime areas in the Arctic (the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (LOSC); maritime boundary delimitation, navigational rights and freedoms, protection and preservation of marine environment and IMO Conventions - The multilevel governance of the extraction of Arctic living and non-living resources - The institutions of Arctic cooperation and their modes of functioning - Arctic Council cooperation – a new course in uncertain time.

Additional information and registration

Price and registration period

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Additional information:

Fields

Social sciences

Scope

5 cr

1 component

Code

ASPB1103V24

What you need to know before the course

What you will learn

The aim of the course is to introduce Arctic governance and international environmental law with specific reference to the Arctic, in its historical perspective, development and law-making process. After completion of the course the student is able to - apply the knowledge learnt in the course to other regions and circumstances, and to past, current and future events and developments - address issues related to the international climate law, creation of a legal regime to address climate change and its impact - discuss about impacts of climate change on the Arctic and the application of international climate change law within the Arctic - identify the multiple layers of Arctic governance and politics; capabilities and limitations of different institutions and forums involved into Arctic cooperation.

Learning material

Literature (suggested):

Bodansky, D., Brunnee, J. & Rajamani, L. (2017). International Climate Change Law. Oxford: OUP. Chapters 2, 5 and 7.

Durfee, M. & Johnstone, R. L. (2019). Arctic Governance in a Changing World. Lanham: Rowman and Littlefield. Chapters 3 (Arctic Players) and 5 (Arctic Economies and Resources).

Gavrilov, V. (2015). Legal Status of the Northern Sea Route and Legislation of the Russian Federation: A Note. Ocean Development and International Law, 46 (3): 256–263.

Loukacheva, N. (Ed.) (2010). Polar Law Textbook. TemaNord. Copenhagen: Nordic Council of Ministers. Available at: http://norden.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:701555/FULLTEXT01.pdf.

Loukacheva, N. (Ed.) (2013). Polar Law Textbook II. TemaNord. Copenhagen: Nordic Council of Ministers. Available at: http://norden.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:701016/FULLTEXT01.pdf.

Maguire, R. (2013). Foundations of International Climate Law. In E. J. Hollo, K. Kulovesi & M. Mehling (Eds) Climate Change and the Law. Dordrecht: Springer.

Mayer, B. (2018). The International Law on Climate Change, Cambridge University Press. Chapters 3, 4, 5 and 7.

Poelzer, G. & Wilson, G. N. (2014). Governance in the Arctic: Political Systems and Geopolitics. In J. N. Larsen & G. Fondahl (Eds) Arctic Human Development Report: Regional Process and Global Linkages. TemaNord 2014:567. Copenhagen: Nordic Council of Ministers, pp. 183–220. Available at: http://norden.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:788965/fulltext03.pdf.

Roach, J. A. (2009). International Law and the Arctic: A Guide to Understanding the Issues. Southwestern Journal of International Law, 15 (2): 301–326.

Sands, P. et al (2018). Principles of International Environmental Law. Cambridge University Press.

Steinberg, P. E. (2014). Steering between Scylla and Charybdis: The Northwest Passage as Territorial Sea. Ocean Development and International Law, 45 (1): 84–106.

Tanaka, Y. (2019). International Law of the Sea. Cambridge University Press.

Additional information

Organiser

Lapin yliopisto

Contact details

avoin@ulapland.fi

0404844495

Belongs to themes:

Sustainable development and growth