Law taster session: Can a country disappear? Climate change, sea-level rise and future of statehood

Under international law, a State must possess territory to qualify for Statehood - a requirement drawn up long before anyone considered the implications of climate change and sea-level rise. Submergence of territory due to climate induced rising sea-levels is now a real possibility. Sea-level rise affects some countries more than others, and Pacific island nations are among the worst affected: many sit just two metres above sea level, with most of their population living within five kilometres of the coast. By 2016, five islands in the Solomon Islands had gone under water; several islands in Micronesia followed by 2017. This raises legal questions that remain unresolved. 

We will explore how international law needs to adapt in light of rising seas, and what a fair response could look like. The session also includes a Q&A with our academic staff and student ambassadors. 

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