°µÍø³Ô¹Ï

Overview

The °µÍø³Ô¹Ï has a history of safeguarding life below water, including contributing to the legal frameworks that protect the ocean and improving our understanding of how coastal processes both respond to climate change and help communities adapt to it.

Academics from across the °µÍø³Ô¹Ï have been involved in submitting reports to the EU Environment Sub-Committee on the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement, and appeared as experts at the Expert Group Meeting on the UNODC Legislative Guide on Crimes in the Fisheries Sector.

Developing Legal Frameworks

The °µÍø³Ô¹Ï’s contribution to the legal frameworks that protect the ocean is exemplified by the work of Professors Richard Barnes and Elizabeth Kirk. 

Professor Richard Barnes

Professor Barnes is a Professor of International Law with expertise in marine law and ocean environments. He has worked on or led a number of research projects which include, Evolving a Circular Plastics Economy, Climate Change and European Aquatic Resources, and Cumulative Effects of Offshore Developments. Since 2016, he has appeared before Parliamentary committees on numerous occasions to give evidence on the fisheries aspects of Brexit.

Professor Elizabeth Kirk

Professor Elizabeth Kirk, Global Professor in Global Governance and Ecological Justice, is an expert in environmental law who researches the factors that contribute to legal frameworks, adhered to by states, companies, and individuals. She has had significant impact on the goals described under SDG 14 through her work to develop a global plastics treaty to help to reduce the scourge of plastics entering our ocean ecosystems, and through her work on the sustainable and fair use of marine genetic resources. She is working with Daniel Akrofi an international legal and sustainability consultant currently pursuing doctoral research in international law and global governance at the °µÍø³Ô¹Ï, with a particular focus on the law around global plastic pollution.

International Law of the Sea

Also working on International Law of the Sea is Dr Mercedes Rosello, whose research seeks to understand how weaknesses in the law contribute to governance problems in regions where overfishing is chronic. Her work is supported by the Sustainable Fisheries and Communities Trust through two studentships working on the

Research and the Marine Environment

°µÍø³Ô¹Ï academics are engaged in an array of research groups which are linked to the environment. Their research has wide reaching aims, from protecting the environment for future generations to understanding ecology and evolution.