International marine environmental law in the 21st century

The marine environment is under increasing threat from the cumulative effects of human activities. This chapter examines and elaborates on some of the important challenges facing international marine environmental law today. To situate the discussion, the chapter begins with an overview of the background to and development of international marine environmental law and the principles and processes that form the corpus of this body of law. It then turns to an examination of legal frameworks relating to some of the most pressing current challenges, including biodiversity loss, plastic pollution, climate change and the role of science and technology. The chapter concludes that international marine environmental law alone cannot protect the marine environment. Rather, cooperation between sectors and with other legal regimes such as the climate, biodiversity and waste regimes is now essential.