My scholarship revolves around the politics of the world’s oceans and coastlines, from the top of the world to the bottom. The question driving my research is simple: why do we value the oceans?
The answers, however, are complex. Some of us love leisure time at the beach, and value clean beaches and clear water. Some seek the living resources of the sea, catching fish to put literal food on the table. Others look towards the mineral resources of the deep, engaging in offshore extraction of oil, gas, and minerals. And some love the ocean for intangible reasons – a spiritual or cultural connection to the waters around us. I have traveling the planet looking for answers to this question. I have toured the oil fields of the Alaskan Arctic Ocean, visited the penguins of the Antarctic peninsula, attended years of treaty negotiations at the United Nations, and spent weeks at archives in the Caribbean. By understanding what we value about the ocean, we can undertake appropriate governance to protect it.
Below you can learn more about some of the work that I do.
Polar Politics
The polar regions are unique in many ways, and that means they have unique needs for protection and policy. I have been fortunate enough to work in both the Arctic and the Antarctic, to understand how countries can work together to preserve these regions.
The United Nations
From 2017-2023, I was observing the United Nations negotiations for a new marine Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction Treaty (BBNJ). The treaty negotiations began with an organizational meeting in 2018, and ended in March of 2023 with a finalized treaty.
Offshore Energy
The world needs energy to live, but there are so many ways to generate it. And each comes with an environmental cost. I have long been interested in ocean resources, with an emphasis on energy resources – both the traditional oil and gas as well as offshore renewable energy.
Elizabeth Nyman 