Shifting Seas:  The Law’s Response to Changing Ocean Conditions 

November 14 & 15, 2012
Roger Williams University School of Law

Current ocean and coastal law is based on several assumptions.  Our governance of public and private property at the coast is based on the assumed stability of the boundary between land and sea.  Management of coastal and ocean resources and protection of environmental quality is based on what we assume to be relatively stable ecosystem functions.   International treaties are based on where polar ice as to date been located. 

Ocean and coastal conditions are changing.  The land-sea boundary is changing, ocean water is warmer and more acidic, fluctuating weather conditions and storms significantly impact coastal communities, and previously fixed boundaries in the Arctic are disappearing.

This Symposium will examine the laws that are implicated when coastal and ocean conditions change.   Experts from federal, state and municipal bodies as well as academia, industry and non-profit organizations will share their perspectives on legal issues already implicated and those on the horizon.  Topics will include the use of rolling easements, changes to land use and zoning, management of marine resources as stock range changes, and the evolution of law in the Arctic.

More information is available at Marine Law Symposium, by calling 401-254-5392 or by email to marineaffairs@rwu.edu.