Climate Change
KEY QUOTE “Climate change may start a scramble for resources not seen since the 19 th century gold-rush in California” 3
BACKGROUND INFORMATION The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) is recognised as the legitimate body in the Arctic for determining maritime issues. UNCLOS divides the world’s maritime areas into different categories, including EEZ’s. A state, once it has ratified UNCLOS, has 10 years to submit a claim to extend its EEZ to the CLCS. To be successful, a state must prove through scientific data that the extended area is a natural extension of the state’s continental shelf. If a claim is successful, the state will have access to the extended seabed resources (which in the Arctic, could be worth millions of pounds). All Arctic coastal states have ratified UNCLOS, except the USA, whose congress will not ratify but all presidents since the creation of UNCLOS have supported it. 7
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