The case for a treaty on marine plastic pollution
The call for a new international treaty on marine plastic pollution is growing in strength. Scholars and civil society actors are now calling for a global regulatory framework to be put in place. At the first session of the open-ended ad hoc expert group on marine plastic litter and microplastics, held on 29–31 May 2018 in Nairobi, Kenya, an increasing number of States clearly articulated the need for such a treaty.
The TPNW: Setting the Record Straight
The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) is steadily attracting new adherents and is likely to enter into force in the next few years. Numerous states, NGOs, and scholars have praised the adoption of the treaty as a welcome addition to the nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament regime. But the treaty continues to face vocal resistance, including from a number of UN member states. Reviewing the main objections raised by skeptics, we suggest that the debate over the TPNW text and negotiating process in some ways constitutes a sideshow that masks the real source of opposition: profound differences over the acceptability of nuclear weapons. The most fundamental objection to the TPNW is that it delegitimizes the policy of nuclear deterrence.
The TPNW and its implications for Norway
This report explains the contents of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), discusses its compatibility with Norwegian defence arrangements and explores the details of some of the key dilemmas Norwegian policymakers are faced with.
The nuclear weapons ban treaty and the non-proliferation regime
Supporters of the TPNW have described the agreement as a watershed in the struggle for disarmament. However, others have expressed fervent opposition, claiming that the TPNW could undermine the non-proliferation regime and undercut efforts at disarmament. Investigating the legal and political cogency of these arguments, we argue that not only may the TPNW be reconciled with existing legal instruments, the new Treaty supports and reinforces key norms and institutions on which the nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament regime is based.
The article is published by Medicine, Conflict and Survival.