III. Bridging the maritime domain awareness gap: The role of new technologies in promoting equitable surveillance capabilities to enact environmental obligations under the law of the sea

In 1982, the Third United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea expressed concerns about the potential widening technological divide between developed and developing States due to the rapid development in maritime science and technology. Over four decades later, however, the capacity gap in the field of maritime domain awareness is reportedly declining. More accessible advancements in areas such as satellite imagery, low-cost drones, and artificial intelligence contribute to democratising states’ capabilities to cost-effectively monitor the marine environment. As this monitoring is a due diligence prerequisite of states’ obligations to protect and preserve the maritime environment, more equitable capabilities present legal and ethical implications in the broader North-South international maritime and environmental discourse.
info:eu-repo/semantics/published