• its almost impossible to enforce international law over the ocean because the ocean is just way too big. regulating laws and finding people to do it wouldn't be realistic. with costal enforcement its much more feasible because not only is it around the country it belongs to, there is a lot less area to monitor.

1.Deep Sea mining can cause destruction of ecosystems that we don't even know about yet.

2.Only the countries that are around the oceans should have a say.

Station 2

I would say that countries with the most military strength have more power in international waters. An example of this is what is happening in the South China Sea. China is using its Military Strength to overpower other nations in the area in order to take control of the sea. I would say that there isn't much punishment that goes into effect when countries break the law. In the South China Sea, China is being sued, but they are still doing what they have been doing for years in the South China Sea. I would say that it is harder to enforce laws on the High Sea, because nobody has full control over areas in the high sea.

I think it's difficult because the ocean is so big and complex different institutions and nations have overlapping jurisdictions making it hard to establish clear rules and responsibilities.

• I think sea mining is moving faster than the rules because we are still talking and figuring out rules and restrictions about the deep sea.

• I think it's hard for international organizations to respond so quickly because of multiple reasons. For example, sea mining not be as big of an importance for them, they don't know about it, or they don't see any future benefits for it.

• I think we should use technology now and adjust the rules later because if we wait too long, it would be a mess. But overall, both ways would cause a mess somehow.

• Scientists help shape the rules because they know what they are talking about and can help educate other through rules.

·         - Think about Nauru (deep sea mining) or Tuvalu (rising sea levels)—what challenges do they face?

The challenge that they face is that they are very small nations that have big impacts on the environment, but get little say in what they do.

·         - Should every country get an equal say? Why or why not?

I would say yes every country should get equal say because it would be fair to everyone in organizations like UNCLOS to get equal say. This would help prevent bigger countries like the USA, China, and Russia from taking completely over.

·         - Can small nations punch above their weight in global negotiations?

They can try to look like a bigger country than what they are, but at the end of the day I don't think that it they can take over negotiations.

·         - Do you think UNCLOS supports small nations fairly?

I think that they try to treat nations fairly with the 200 mile EEZ rule.

Station 2: What makes enforcing ocean laws especially hard?

1) Who has the power to enforce the law in international waters?

No country really has full control out in international waters. So it takes multiple countries working together to enforce the rules/laws.

2) What happens if a country or company breaks the rules?

If someone breaks the rules, they might get fined or face pressure from other countries, but it can be hard to hold them accountable with no single ruler.

3) How is enforcement different in the high seas vs a country’s EEZ?

In a country’s EEZ, that country’s in charge and can enforce its own rules. But in the high seas, it’s more of a free-for-all unless countries cooperate.

4) Give an example from a case we studied (e.g., Deepwater Horizon, South China Sea).

The U.S. could handle the Deepwater Horizon oil spill because it happened in their zone, but in the South China Sea, it’s a mess because a bunch of countries are fighting over who controls what.

1. Fair means having proportional and accurate laws that pertain to every nation in some way or another to protect the Ocean rights of every nation.

2. Countries with large navies should not have more say. Every country should have the same amount of say as each coastal or oceanic country should have a right to the sea.

3. UNCLOS tries to make things fair by giving everyone the same amount of territory in the ocean compared to the size of their coastline.

4. Landlocked countries should be the ones that deliberate the issues that oceanic countries have because they are unbiased as they do not have a claim according to UNCLOS.

1. the countries closest to those waters have the power to enforce the laws

2. if they get caught, they have to pay a fine, but it would be hard to catch them

3. Enforcment would be harder in high seas because it is harder to travel out there, and the boundaries are unclear of who could enforce it

station 4

Mining can cause problems to things we don't know all information on. I think the countries with oceans nearby/ that it would affect should have a say. Small nations should not take over negotiations. I think UNCLOS does treat nations fairly.

1. From what we currently know, there is noone that has complete control over the oceans to regulate and give out maritime laws. The closest we have is UNCLOS, but even this organization fails to cover everything

2. The country who breaks the law is obviously the liable one, but thats usually about it. The UN itself isnt great at enforcing any large rules or regulations, its usually just something most counties agree on. The part with the most power is the Un security council which can if it chooses expel or suspend a nation from the general assembly

3. Enforcement is very hard beyond an EEZ as this breaks off the usual coast/continental shelf and leads into deeper waters. the farther from the mainland of a country makes it far harder to measure the length of property the country owns, or will inevitably lead to disputes between countries who have their borders cross over

4. Disputes between the South China Sea can also be brought in as China used irregular rocks in the ocean to create artificial islands. despite it being in deeper ocean waters, China believes that they should have the land around it as an EEZ zone.

Who has the power to enforce the law in international waters?

• Nobody

What happens if a country or company breaks the rules?

• They can't really enforce laws in the deep sea, so not much can happen.

How is enforcement different in the high seas vs a country’s EEZ?

• High seas is way harder to enforce than EEZ because they haven't come to an agreement on punishable actions unlike the EEZ, that has.

Give an example from a case we studied (e.g., Deepwater Horizon,

South China Sea).

• South China Sea with UNCLOS

Station1

I think creating fair international ocean laws is challenging due to conflicting national interests, unequal access to resources, complex legal and scientific requirements, territorial claims, and weak enforcement. Balancing environmental protection with economic use adds difficulty because of everybody beliefs and how things are supposed to be, making it hard to ensure all countries benefit fairly from the ocean’s shared resources in what we are trying to accomplish.

Station 1

There is no such thing as fair. even if there was someone would complain about something being unfair.

Yes, because they are the ones who will be the ones in charge of in forcing the rules.

How would they make things fair. No it won't.

They will be the ones complaining that it is unfair.

Station 2: What makes enforcing ocean laws especially hard?

• Who has the power to enforce the law in international waters?

No one directly has authority over the ocean, they can come to agreements over issues regarding the ocean, but no one has the true power. They can only enforce laws within their own ships. But since the ocean is so large there is no way to regulate rules.

• What happens if a country or company breaks the rules?

If they violate the laws then they could face fines but it mostly matters if the country agrees.

• How is enforcement different in the high seas vs a country’s EEZ?

  The country's EEZ has more control and can enforce laws, but in the high seas enforcement is limited unless their is specific crimes committed.

• Give an example from a case we studied (e.g., Deepwater Horizon,

South China Sea).

The South China Sea shows how hard it is to enforce ocean laws. The court ruled over China but enforcement has been weak due to the lack of ruling. This shows how many can pass major consequences.

• You can't really enforce laws over the entire ocean because there is so much of it, but areas that are near coastlines of countries can be regulated based on certain boundaries.

• If the laws are attached to a particular country's coastlines, they should get fined or arrested depending on the crime or violation.

• The high seas is harder to enforce because they don't really have rules or regulations to fall back on. The EEZ actually has rules and stuff.

• China wouldn't listen to UNCLOS when it came to the area they shared with the Philippines

It is hard to enforce laws in international waters because the ocean is hard to control since it is so big.

If a country was to break rules that happened to be enforced, they would be fined and could probably also lose their license.

1) Countries closest to water or with the most military strength should power.

2) They could try to punish them for breaking the rules if they can.

3) It's harder to travel because of the seas and you don't know the boundaries.

4) South China with UNCLOS.

In this case "fair" doesn't mean equal it directly means abiding by the 200 nautical mile rules and regulations, which isn't fully giving everybody an equal share of resources etc.... I believe that in the creation a fair international ocean is very challenging due to many different things such as national conflict of interests, unequal access to resources and certain scientific requirements, as well as the enforcement is very weak. Everyone has a difference of opinion of how things are supposed to be divided. Overall, it is hard to ensure the fairness in the ocean with its high economic use and resources. Not all countries will benefit from the division of the ocean.