Opening Speech

Good morning and good afternoon, depending on your time zone. It is a great pleasure to introduce this conference on “Sea Level Rise and International Law: Assessing its Impacts on the Americas.” Sea level rise is a pressing global challenge that could generate catastrophic effects, including in the Americas, which are surrounded by four oceans: the Arctic, the Antarctic, the Atlantic, and the Pacific. Several of the countries in the Region could suffer disproportionately from the consequences of this serious phenomenon. The implications for States and people all over the world are devastating, making rising sea levels a matter of utmost urgency.

In the past few years, various substantive ideas have been developed regarding this pressing problem, this existential problem, in relation to international law. However, there is still much to do. Needless to say, this conference is an important venue for the discussion of this challenge and to contribute with further analyses, including the role that international law could play, and creating a space for the further consideration of this topic in the Americas.