The Ocean Policy Working Group (OPWG) is the newest DUCIS student working group. Our core objective is to facilitate cross-disciplinary discussions and collaborations that explore the political, economic and cultural dimensions of human interactions with the ocean.

For our inaugural post, we wanted to share some of the potential areas of discussion which the OPWG will explore. Please consider these as a matrix of interconnected themes rather than a list of discrete topics…

Ocean governance:

- national and international security issues (territorial disputes, nuclear testing, piracy etc)

- international legal frameworks, such as the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea

Human communities and health:

- discussions involving marine natural disasters,

- discussions involving marine food supply, marine pathogens and other issues related to global health

Cultural:

- indigenous/coastal/maritime cultures, maritime migrations

- artistic and psychological connections to the oceans

Marine resources management:

- fisheries, other living marine resources and marine conservation- discussions involving development of mineral and energy resources

- ecosystem-based management practices (including comprehensive marine spatial planning)

Ocean environment changes:

- climate change, ocean acidification, sea level rise

- changing marine ecosystems and biodiversity

Examples of more specific questions:

- How has recent political instability in North Africa and the Middle East impacted maritime activity and marine resource management in the Mediterranean?

- How will environmental changes in the Arctic impact ecosystems, economies and security in the region?
Anything else you can think of!