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FRIHUMSAM-Fri prosj.st. hum og sam

Wicked Waters: Strengthening a Leading Research Environment for Wicked Problems in Green and Sustainable Maritime Governance in the Nordics

Alternative title: "Wicked Waters": Å styrke et ledende forskningsmiljø innenfor ‘wicked problems’ i en grønn og bærekraftig maritim næring

Awarded: NOK 1.3 mill.

Humankind is currently dealing with the most wicked problem: how can we ensure social and economic growth while preserving the environment, mitigating and adapting to the adverse effects of climate change? These changes are affecting our seas and oceans with growing pressure and at an alarming rate. More natural resources are extracted (fisheries, energy), larger areas of the sea are occupied, and competing uses and interests create clashes on the expense of the environment. Traditional legal tools are also proving to be insufficient or non-existent. Wicked Waters envisages being a launching network to advance regulatory developments considering technological progress, climate change pressures, and societal needs related to sustainability in maritime environments. Our Network has been designed to combine a Norwegian focus with a global and comparative law reach to understand how law can be a transformative tool to help solve these issues. We center our efforts and aim to build expertise in three areas: i) multiuse of sea spaces; ii) circular and life cycle approaches to maritime activities; iii) and sustainable offshore infrastructure financing. In order to strengthen the research environment in Bergen, we will invite leading researchers to participate in seminars, organize Nordic conferences on maritime sustainability studies, focusing on energy and environmental law-related challenges. Wicked Waters will strenghten the research group and enable the group to continue developing expertise, training young scholars, and teaching students on aspects related to maritime green sustainable governance at the highest international level.

Humankind is currently dealing with the most wicked problem: how can we ensure social and economic growth while preserving the environment and slowing and limiting the adverse effects of climate change? These changes are affecting our seas and oceans with growing pressure. More natural resources are extracted (fisheries, energy), sea spaces are more occupied as a consequence, and competing uses and interests create clashes. Traditional legal tools are proving to be insufficient or nonexistent. Wicked Waters focuses on the consequences of maritime activity and how ‘Blue Growth’ demands regulatory tools that secure green and sustainable results. Wicked Waters will help generating new legal research to develop critical legal tools and academic theoretical frameworks in maritime green and sustainable governance. A focus on maritime green and sustainable governance, combining environmental aspects with industrial sea uses, and the support to develop a research network and PhD educational activities will cement the position of our Research Group as a leading environment in these fields in the Nordics. Long-term will create a solid basis to support, plan and execute long-term, group-based projects & funding proposals, expand our membership and facilitate the growth of our Faculty. It will also strengthen our collaboration, ties, and exchanges with our student community. The research network will benefit a community of 22 researchers (permanent and non-permanent) by creating ties with international research communities and training the next generation of researchers in our field focus. Wicked Waters combines network and team-building activities (conferences, hybrid seminars, student-oriented activities, administrative support, and dissemination funds) and a PhD training and dissemination program offered to PhD candidates in Norway and the Nordics part of the non-structured PhD education, giving ECTS for the activities undertaking.

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FRIHUMSAM-Fri prosj.st. hum og sam