| Abstract: |
The climate crisis is a global problem. The rising temperatures are caused by the emission of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, mainly carbon dioxide, to the atmosphere (United States Environmental Protection Agency, 2020). This climate change causes human crises and conflicts, because of water and food scarcity; natural disasters, like the large increase in fires and the coral reefs death; weather extremes; economic impacts; and more negative consequences (United Nations, n. d. ). The Paris Agreement has the objective of limiting the global average temperature below 2ºC with the final goal to limit the temperature increase more than 1. 5ºC, as compared with the pre-industrial temperature levels (United Nations, 2015). This Agreement does not include international shipping. Focusing on maritime traffic, the United Nations agency's International Maritime Organization (IMO) is the regulatory body of this industry (IMO, 2018a) and has an initial strategy for the reduction of GHG emissions (IMO, 2018b). Related to the Arctic, the International Code for Ships Operating in Polar Waters (Polar Code) entered into force in 2017 (IMO, 2017). Climate change has been causing the Arctic's meltdown faster. This reality is opening economic opportunities that directly affect the environment and the life of local people. Easier access to natural resources, such as fisheries, minerals, and the major reserves of oil and natural gas (National Ocean Economics Program, 2017). The increase of tourist cruises and their passengers flooding the small Inuit villages (Connolly, 2019). And the Northern Sea Route (NSR) increased in 2019 cargo volumes by 56. 7% compared with the previous year (Digges, 2020), and would be able to compete with the Suez Canal Route in the future if it can be used more during the year and increase cargo ships traffic. The European Union (EU) does not have a precise position on international trade through the Arctic. In contrast, the Russian Federation has a clear strategy to boost NSR. 4 The EU's gross domestic product totaled 15. 626 trillion in 2019 in USD currency, being after the US (Annex 1) (The World Bank, n. d). With 500 million consumers and the most open marker to developing countries, "the EU is an attractive market to do business with" (European Commission, 2019). This economic weight offers its global regulatory power through trade relations and agreements. This paper focuses on the impact of climate change on the Arctic and the new international trade opportunities. It provides an overview of Russian actions in the region. With international law as a background, it shows the EU's policy. Finally, It shows different proposals with the objective to find a balance between the environment and the economy. |
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dir. (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Departament de Dret Públic i de Ciències Historicojurídiques)
