PCRC News
April 18, 2024 
An important contribution on science-based decision making in the Antarctic governance
Director Shibata just published a co-authored paper in Marine Policy: Science Advice for International Governance: An evidence-based perspective on the role of SCAR in the Antarctic Treaty System, with Steven Chown (Australia) leading, and Kees Bastmeijer (Netherlands), Cassandra Brooks (USA), Neil Gilbert (New Zealand) and Laura Phillips (Australia). This is an important contribution in the present Antarctic governance context, where serious yet ill-founded doubts are expressed as to the foundational principle of Antarctic governance based on best available science. This is another outcome of Director Shibata’s current research under KAKENHI “The Resilience of the Antarctic Treaty System under Anthropocene”. Open access article and free downloading.
April 4, 2024 
Director Shibata as a Board Member of the the Arctic Centre, U-Lapland!
From 2024 with two years term, Director Shibata will act as a member of the Scientific Advisory Board of the Arctic Centre, the University of Lapland, Finland. The Arctic Centre is the leading Arctic research institution in the world, and its Scientific Advisory Board supports the Centre's leadership by giving advice for its research planning and on the implementation of its Strategic Plan. Under the JSPS funded International Collaborative Research 2023-2028, Dierctor Shibata as its PI has designated the Arctic Centre as the core overseas research hub in order for PCRC to expand and strengthen its polar governance research.
April 1, 2024
YouTube video from 27th PCRC International Law Seminar on glacial geoengineering is now available for on-demand viewing!
In a seminar held on March 4 entitled "Governing Glacial Geoengineering at the South Pole? The political and legal risks of ‘ice sheet conservation’ in Antarctica", an international relations scholar, Dr. Patrick Flamm, explains the current proposal on the giant underwater curtain to slow down the melting of ice-sheet in the West Antarctica and examines the governance risks underlying such ideas, followed by comments from a physical oceanographer, Prof. Shigeru Aoki and an international lawyer, Director Shibata. The video is about one-hour length. Please click here 
to view.
March 22, 2024 
Invitation to Doctoral Course in International law at GSICS, Kobe University, with Japanese government scholarship: deadline end of May
PCRC welcomes students who would like to pursue graduate level studies (Ph.D. in Laws) specializing in international law, including Arctic and Antarctic legal and policy studies, under the supervision of Professor Akiho Shibata, Director of the PCRC. For the enrollment in 2025, it is strongly recommended to simultaneously apply for the Japanese government scholarship by the end of May this year. Please see the details from here 
.
March 19, 2024
How to protect submarine cables in the Arctic: ArCS II Fact Sheet explains
In October last year, a submarine telecommunication cable connecting Finland and Estonia under the Baltic Sea had been damaged in what may have been a deliberate act. Development and protection of submarine cables in the Arctic is crucially important for social and economic development of the Arctic peoples as well as for stronger connectivity between Japan on one hand and North America and Europe on the other. Under the leadership of Director Shibata, ArCS II International Law Program has published a Fact Sheet as its 10th volume of Briefing Paper Series (BPS) on “Protection of Submarine Cables in the Arctic”. This Fact Sheet describes concisely the current situation and plans regarding the pan-Arctic submarine cables development and the legal frameworks protecting such important infrastructure. It also describes recent responses, such as the Coordination Cell for Critical Subsea Infrastructure established by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and a Memorandum of Cooperation between Japan and EU signed in July 2023. For press release and the download, access here.
February 7, 2024
Giant underwater curtain in the Antarctic? We will discuss it on March 4!
PCRC will convene its 27th international law seminar entitled "Governing Glacial Geoengineering at the South Pole? The political and legal risks of ‘ice sheet conservation’ in Antarctica", with Associate Professor Patrick Flamm as our main speaker. There is a growing academic debate about the potential of supporting glacial stability through artificial infrastructures such as underwater curtains (see recent Nature article below). Inviting an Antarctic sea-ice specialist from Hokkaido University as a commentator, this seminar leads off such a critical discussion based on a multi-disciplinary collaborative research approach. Pre-registration is required through website by February 29. For the details, please refer to the flyer.
Last updated April 18, 2024