The cosmolegal approach to human activities in outer space: The Institutions of Extraterrestrial Liberty

TY - CHAP

T1 - The cosmolegal approach to human activities in outer space

T2 - The Institutions of Extraterrestrial Liberty

AU - Cirkovic, Elena

PY - 2023/1

Y1 - 2023/1

N2 - In response to a call to imagine extraterrestrial liberties, this chapter uses cosmolegality as a concept and an approach for international law in the context of outer space to argue for a fundamental change in the thought and practice of modern law. Its premise is that human interference required to mitigate anthropogenic environmental degradation in outer space needs to incline towards a new thinking for its regulatory framework, which will assume as the starting point the agency of the non-human. It posits that current international law provides the foundation for value extraction by private enterprises and individual state interests in the resource potential of both domains—the Earth System and outer space—at a time of mass extinctions and climate change. In order to remedy this gap, the cosmolegal objective is to recognise and incorporate non-human agency in international law. The term ‘cosmolegal’ merges cosmology (as a branch of astronomy) with law, to represent the interactions between humans and non-humans beyond, and including, the Earth System. It aims to show what the future would look like if we used the existing interdisciplinary and plural knowledges to address environmental concerns.

AB - In response to a call to imagine extraterrestrial liberties, this chapter uses cosmolegality as a concept and an approach for international law in the context of outer space to argue for a fundamental change in the thought and practice of modern law. Its premise is that human interference required to mitigate anthropogenic environmental degradation in outer space needs to incline towards a new thinking for its regulatory framework, which will assume as the starting point the agency of the non-human. It posits that current international law provides the foundation for value extraction by private enterprises and individual state interests in the resource potential of both domains—the Earth System and outer space—at a time of mass extinctions and climate change. In order to remedy this gap, the cosmolegal objective is to recognise and incorporate non-human agency in international law. The term ‘cosmolegal’ merges cosmology (as a branch of astronomy) with law, to represent the interactions between humans and non-humans beyond, and including, the Earth System. It aims to show what the future would look like if we used the existing interdisciplinary and plural knowledges to address environmental concerns.

KW - cosmolegal

KW - international law

KW - law

KW - policy

KW - space environmentalism

U2 - 10.1093/oso/9780192897985.003.0007

DO - 10.1093/oso/9780192897985.003.0007

M3 - Book chapter

AN - SCOPUS:85148189813

SN - 9780192897985

SP - 71

EP - 84

BT - The Institutions of Extraterrestrial Liberty

A2 - Cockell, C.S.

PB - Oxford University Press

CY - Oxford

ER -