The most desirable aspects of the Law of the Sea Treaty pertain to navigational rights.
Well managed and healthy oceans are vital to the survival of small island states, such as the Maldives. This important book shows how scientists and governments can better protect the world's oceans.
The United Nations World Charter for Nature, section 21, empowers any nongovernmental organisation or individual to uphold international conservation law in areas beyond national jurisdiction and specifically on the high seas.
Our oceans are facing innumerable threats - from overfishing and pollution to ocean acidification and invasive species - yet we haven't had a blueprint for its use and development, incredible as that seems.
The use of the sea and air is common to all; neither can the title to the ocean belong to any people or private persons, forasmuch as neither nature nor public use and custom permit any possession thereof.
Yet, much of what lies beneath the ocean's surface remains a mystery, and our nation continues to rely on a confused, antiquated system of ocean governance.
The high seas - in other words, the oceans beyond the 200-mile national limits - are a lawless realm.
The ocean governs the climate and the weather, it is taking care of the temperature and it is shaping the chemistry of our planet.
