Dr Daria Shapovalova from the University of Aberdeen presented paper at recent conference which brought together leading researchers in marine governance and international law.
Dr Daria Shapovalova recently presented her paper International Governance of Oil Spills from Upstream Petroleum Activities in the Arctic: Response Over Prevention’ at an academic conference 'A vision for Ocean Law and Governance for 2020-2030 and Beyond' held at Strathclyde University.
Daria’s paper focused on the role international law in governing oil spills in the Arctic.The discovery of the petroleum resources in the Arctic waters and the rapid loss of sea ice raise concerns over environmental risks of oil development in the Arctic waters.
The paper examines the scope and application of the relevant treaties and argues that a regulatory gap exists in the prevention of oil spills and addressing the challenges of response in Arctic conditions. It further suggests that there is an increasing role for soft-law regional cooperation in addressing these gaps. The paper has been accepted for publication in the International Journal of Marine and Coastal Law and is currently in press.
Daria’s current work focuses on the incompatibility of Arctic petroleum development with international climate change goals.