A Study Of The Legal Framework For Marine Environmental Protection In The Arctic Ocean

Global climate change has significantly strengthened the value and strategic value of energy extraction in the Arctic Ocean,especially the development of shipping value in the Arctic waterway,which will lead to more countries participating in activities in the region for national interests.The protection of the Arctic Ocean marine environment is urgent.At present,the international community has paid attention to the urgency of protecting the Arctic Ocean marine environment.However,due to the harsh climate conditions in the Arctic and the complex geopolitical situation,there is currently no effective and sound legal framework as a guarantee for environmental protection.This makes it necessary to improve the existing legal framework for protecting the Arctic Ocean marine environment.The focus of this article is to analyze the legal difficulties in the protection of the Arctic Ocean marine environment and how China can deeply participate in the protection of the Arctic Ocean marine environment.The legal framework for the protection of the marine environment in the Arctic Ocean can be divided into three aspects:Global,regional and domestic legal framework.The global legal framework is represented by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and the polar rules,while the regional legal framework includes the relevant provisions set by the Arctic Council,the domestic legal framework focuses on the domestic legal provisions of the two largest arctic rim states,Russia and Canada.The legal norms at all levels above have played an important role in regulating human activities in the Arctic Ocean region and protecting the Arctic Ocean marine environment,but there are also shortcomings in the legal norms at all levels.Specifically,the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea focuses on principled provisions and lacks operability and enforcement.Although the Polar Rules and the domestic laws of countries around the Arctic have specific provisions for the protection of the Arctic Ocean marine environment,there are certain deficiencies in their jurisdiction and content.In general,in order to deal with the problems faced by the legal framework for marine environmental protection in the Arctic Ocean,this paper suggests that efforts can be made from the following aspects:giving play to the advantages of soft law in the environmental governance of the Arctic Ocean waters,giving play to the role of the Arctic Council,strengthening international cooperation in marine environmental protection in the Arctic Ocean,and gradually establishing a legal framework with a framework convention as the core.As an observer state of the Arctic Council,China has always participated in the Arctic Ocean marine environmental protection affairs with a positive attitude.In the future,China should also deeply participate in the protection of the Arctic Ocean marine environment with a stronger willingness and action.China should take the concept of a community with a shared future for mankind as its ideal belief,face the challenges posed by China’s deep participation in the protection of the Arctic Ocean marine environment at the global and Arctic regional levels,actively explore ways of deep participation,strengthen funding and policy support for scientific research,and strengthen exchanges and communication with countries around the world.Improve specialized legislation on the Arctic region as soon as possible and align it with international conventions and relevant international legal provisions.Deeply participating in the protection of the Arctic Ocean marine environment is an inevitable demand for China’s international interests.