Life on High Seas: EcolPlcy

3 Credits · Level: Graduate, Undergraduate

Roughly 43% of Earth's surface falls beyond national jurisdiction, and is known as the 'high seas.' The high seas makeup over 90% of Earth's habitable space and still remain largely unexplored. This region is a global commons, like the atmosphere, and the health of the high seas has an impact on life across the planet. Increasingly, emerging technologies and industries are moving into the high seas, and the choices that current and future leaders make about this commons will impact our planet for future generations. This course will introduce you to the environment of the high seas and the international policies relating to its sustainable use. We will begin with an introduction to oceanography and marine biology. We will explore the diverse ecosystems of the high seas, including the abyssal plane, deep-sea hydrothermal vents, whale falls, the pelagic zone, and life at the air-sea interface. After building a foundational understanding of high seas ecosystems, we will examine past and present international policies enacted to manage shared use of the high seas, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Finally, we will study the current state of international policy surrounding the high seas, with a focus on the United Nations negotiations to protect Biodiversity in areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ).