The Royal Society and The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters

In 2019 The Royal Society in London asked The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters to host a joint workshop at the Academy on “Science and the Law of Environment”. After several postponements due to the pandemic, the workshop will be held 9-10 March and two topics will be covered: 

“Mining deep sea minerals. Environmental and legal implications. Strengthening the law of the deep sea environment?” and 
“Solar radiation modification (geoengineering). Environmental and legal implications. How should international law evolve to prevent unilateral implementation of solar geoengineering?” 
The workshop is by invitation.

The ambition of the workshop is to prepare a document aimed to inform senior policy makers in the UK and Norwegian governments (and elsewhere) on the ongoing research and discussions of the scientific and technical feasibility and environmental impacts, and interlinked issues concerning international law, for each of the two topics. 

Organization committee and co-chairs of the workshop: 

Julie Maxton, DBE, executive director of Royal Society,
John Shepherd, FRS, professor (em.) of Earth System Science, School of Ocean and Earth Science, University of Southampton, National Oceanography Centre, UK,
Catherine Banet, professor, Scandinavian Institute of Maritime Law, Faculty of Law, University of Oslo,
Øystein Hov, former secretary general of The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters, advisor, The Norwegian Meteorological Institute.

The invited participants comprise approximately 24 people with six natural scientists and six lawyers from each country, one half for each topic, plus some additional experts invited to motivate & facilitate the process.

All photos must be credited Thomas B. Eckhoff/ The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters