Ocean Governance in a Contested World Order: Weathering the Storm

We are happy and excited for the incubator initiative 'Ocean Governance in a Contested World Order: Weathering the Storm' to start! The project explores how mounting geopolitical tensions are reshaping the international order at sea, and how we can build a fairer, more resilient system of ocean governance.

From the South China Sea to European waters, the ocean is turning into a geopolitical flashpoint. This interdisciplinary initiative connects law, international relations, environmental science, history and sustainability studies to understand how these tensions affect ocean governance and the law of the sea.

Through three interdisciplinary workshops, the team will map key contestations, explore their implications, and develop future scenarios to strengthen governance. The initiative aims to identify the systemic pressures on the current ocean order together with stakeholders and jointly map pathways for securing a just and more sustainable future ocean.

Incubator Kickstarter Workshop

On the 16th of October, ocean governance enthusiasts celebrated the kick off of the Incubator during a workshop provided by Pathways to Sustainability. After inspirational talks about the successes of previous Incubators, a diverse group of academics and policymakers dived into the world of (inter)national marine relations. Selecting the best scope for the project was quite challenging, as ocean governance bears such interesting research questions. However, with the guidance of the Centre for Unusual Collaborations, different themes began to cristallize. Now that the Incubator has officially kicked off, the team will start developing the different themes, events and goals. Stay tuned!