Ocean Acidification and Oceans Governance in the Anthropocene
Tim Stephens (1)
1 Professor of International Law, ARC Future Fellow, Faculty of Law, University of Sydney, tim.stephens@sydney.edu.au
Climate change and its marine environmental impacts has been the subject of global regulatory attention since 1992 when the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change was adopted. By contrast, ocean acidification, the other, more recently identified CO2 problem, remains unaddressed in any global instrument.This is despite the profound challenge that acidification and associated changes to ocean chemistry poses for the health of ocean ecosystems. This paper considers the regulatory options available at national, regional and global scales to mitigate and adapt in response to changing ocean chemistry. Particular attention is paid to the role of international fisheries regimes such as the Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources in anticipating and responding to ocean acidification.