Ocean acidification and multilateral environmental agreements

Ocean acidification has become a pressing issue requiring urgent action, but as yet there is no international agreement dedicated to addressing it. One of the most challenging aspects of the problem is the fact that ocean acidification is caused by pollution from various sources, ranging from land-based pollution and dumping to pollution from or through the atmosphere. As it involves several sources of pollution, the international regulation of ocean acidification brings several multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs) into play. In this chapter we focus on three key MEAs - the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), the Climate Change regime (UNFCCC) and the Convention on Biodiversity (CBD) - and the relationship between them. As we demonstrate, the UNFCCC and UNCLOS are, or at least should be, inextricably linked in combating ocean acidification. The CBD is focussed on impacts on marine species and has been proactive in addressing ocean acidification and bringing the need for action to the attention of the UNFCCC. The formal links between the three regimes are not, however, as strong as they ought to be to tackle ocean acidification, and so we assess the suitability of potential mechanisms to strengthen these links.