Table 2.
Hypothetical health impacts of international marine laws (source: Carvalho et al. 2023 [101]).
| LEGAL FRAMEWORK/CONVENTION | IMPACT |
|---|---|
| Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ) under United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) | Equitable distribution of ocean resources and marine protections between nations for energy production, food distribution, and other sovereign uses of the seas |
| South China Sea (SCS) Arbitration | Suppression of potential conflict between nations that would precipitate a humanitarian crisis for many Pacific and Southeast Asian countries |
| Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) | Protection of endangered species critical to the global food web |
| Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) | Conservation of environmental resources and governance of genetic resources for equitable distribution among human populations |
| Port State Measures Agreement (PSMA) | Decreasing illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing of stocks necessary for the subsistence of multiple human populations |
| International Whaling Commission (IWC) | Regulation of whaling for native populations while protecting endangered species |
| Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) | Prevention of overfishing in the Antarctic and conservation of fish stocks essential to the nourishment of populations |
| United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) | Dissuasion of fossil fuel usage to decrease pollution levels and increases in global warming |
| UN High Seas Marine Protected Areas/Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (ABNJ) | Exploration of marine genetic resources for use in medicines |
| Pandemic preparedness treaty and future treaty on plastic pollution prevention | Global health security to prevent future public health emergencies of international concern (PHEIC), as well as direct effects of marine plastic pollution on human health |