Will it help respond to the Challenges of Climate Change?
Climate Breakfast Seminar Series with David Freestone
The New Agreement on Biological Diversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction: Will it help respond to the Challenges of Climate Change?
Abstract
Professor Freestone will examine the recently adopted international agreement on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction (BBNJ). His presentation will explore the treaty’s legal architecture, its mechanisms for establishing marine protected areas, and its potential to enhance ocean resilience in the face of climate change. Drawing on decades of experience in ocean law and policy, he will assess the agreement’s strengths, limitations, and prospects for implementation in a rapidly changing climate.
About the Speaker
Professor David Freestone is the Executive Secretary of the Sargasso Sea Commission. He has been a co- rapporteur of the International Law Association Committee on International Law and Sea Level Rise since 2014. He was previously Deputy General Counsel/Senior Advisor (2004-8) and Chief Counsel/Legal Advisor (1996-2004) at the World Bank, Washington DC; a former Lobingier Visiting Professor, and Adjunct Professor and Visiting Scholar at The George Washington University Law School. He is the founding editor-in-chief of the International Journal of Marine and Coastal Law (now celebrating its 40th year). He has recently edited, with Professor Joanna Mossop, a Commentary and Analysis of the 2023 BBNJ Agreement for Oxford University Press (forthcoming November 2025). Other recent published work includes - International Law Dimensions of Sea Level Rise (2023, Legal, World Bank) and Legal Dimensions of Sea Level Rise: Pacific Perspectives, (2021, World Bank and GFDRR) (both with Duygu Çiçek and available for free download); Conserving Biodiversity in Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (2019, Ed., Brill), Legal Aspects of Carbon Trading (2014, ed with C. Streck, OUP). In 2007 he was awarded the Elizabeth Haub Gold Medal for Environmental Law.
Registration
Register for the seminar. Zoom link is provided upon registration.