Facing a New Ocean Decade: Geopolitical Change and Challenges in Ocean Governance

The fifty-year period since UNESCO announced its 'Decades' devoted to the oceans has witnessed some deep changes in ocean geopolitics: a new international community made up of a greater number of nation-states that have transformed their territorial bases through the inclusion of large maritime jurisdictions. This, and the decline in the international regulatory ideal, have led to marine governance being addressed very differently from the way it was in the 1970s and presenting a challenge for the future governance of the oceans. This article explores the political change that has occurred during this time and focuses on the State, its maritime territory and the effects of jurisdictional expansion. Methodologically, the geopolitical focus is framed in geographical premises supported with data prepared by the author and premises formulated in the fields of law and political science. The conclusions include some of the effects of unilateral action in marine governance and show that differences and inequalities are the most visible aspects of this new marine territoriality.