Research On Legal Issues Of Arctic Environmental Protection

The Arctic is an important part of the Earth’s ecosystem, affecting global climate change, and our country is located in the Northern Hemisphere, Arctic environmental change has a lot of effects on our oceans, climate, ecosystems. The Arctic as a unified regional ecosystem can be easily changed when it’s subjected to external influences, resulting in the loss of self-repair capacity and a vicious cycle of environment. However, the environment in the Arctic is currently experiencing great changes, although the United Nations, international organizations, the Surround-Arctic Nations have started to pay attention to arctic environmental issues, but the change of climate makes the Arctic more and more important in resources, transportation, military and other aspects, and the differences in the developing of Arctic among the Surround-Arctic Nations make slow progress in the Arctic environmental issues. Currently, the domestic scholars’studies focused on the Arctic sovereignty dispute and the navigation in Northwest, and the studies about the problems of the Arctic environmental are few.This article from the Arctic existing multiple legal systems, analyzing the treaty regarding the protection of Arctic environment, the domestic legislation of the Surround-Arctic Nations, and the role and inadequates of the relevant international organizations in the Arctic environmental protection, after a comparative analysis, we find that the Arctic existing laws include soft law and hard law, which are fragmented. Although, the international community is quite critical about the practical effect of soft law in Arctic affairs, but by comparing the domestic law model, the hard law model, the Arctic Convention model and soft law model, I believe that although soft law is a lack of execution when it governs Arctic environment, but soft law is still the best option for solving the Arctic environmental pollution problems. After selecting soft law model, we need the help of some international organizations to strengthen international cooperation, currently, the Arctic Council is the most authoritative organization managing Arctic affairs. But faced with a complex political environment and the continuing deterioration of the Arctic environment in the Arctic, the Arctic Council appeared to be inadequate, it should be urgent to improve the existing forms of organization and decision-making mechanisms, and consolidate the dominant position in the Surround-Arctic Nations deal with Arctic affairs. Meanwhile the Arctic Council should strengthen its cooperation with countries outside the Arctic, from the current development of the Arctic Council, we can find that the soft law model will be changed into the hard law model in the future, it will be a very long process. For environmental protection, the effect of preventive measures is far better than subsequent remedies, and the operation is more convenient, the Arctic has established a transboundary environmental impact assessment system, but the system still has many problems to be solved, it should establish a long-term stable group that are responsible for concerning the run of environmental impact assessment system, but also all countries should execute the environmental impact assessment Guidelines. In addition, we should rapidly found the Arctic pollution control system, through the improvement of domestic law, strengthening the formulation of regional treaties, improving the ability to monitor response and the development of green technology to avoid the devastating pollution of marine pollutants in Arctic waters. Finally, this article analyst the significance of China has become the permanent observer of the Arctic Council, and the attitude of our country should be taken in face of dramatic changes in the Arctic environment.