Navigating the Souring Seas - The Global Experimentalist Governance of Ocean Acidification

Navigating the Souring Seas explores how ocean acidification (OA)-a significant yet under-governed environmental threat-is being addressed on the global stage. Bridging science, law, and international policy, this interdisciplinary book introduces global experimentalist governance as an innovative and adaptable framework for tackling complex and uncertain issues like OA. It provides a clear overview of the scientific background of OA and maps the international governance landscape, identifying it as a regime complex. Through detailed interview-based case studies of the Ocean Acidification Alliance and the International Maritime Organization, the book evaluates real-world efforts to govern OA and highlights how experimentalist features, such as flexibility, learning, and multilevel collaboration, can enhance their effectiveness. Accessible and timely, this book is essential reading for scholars, students, policymakers, and environmental practitioners seeking practical, forward-looking governance strategies for ocean and climate challenges. It offers both theoretical insight and concrete recommendations for improving global environmental governance.

List of contents

1. INTRODUCTION; 2. UNDERSTANDING OCEAN ACIDIFICATION; 3. OCEAN ACIDIFICATION AND REGIME COMPLEXITY; 4. GLOBAL EXPERIMENTALIST GOVERNANCE; 5. ACTORS AND INSTRUMENTS TACKLING OCEAN ACIDIFICATION; 6. CASE STUDY I - THE OCEAN ACIDIFICATION ALLIANCE; 7. CASE STUDY II - THE INTERNATIONAL MARITIME ORGANIZATION; 8. CONCLUSION.

About the author

Annika Frosch is a research fellow at University College London and a DAAD-funded Ph.D. graduate from the EUI. This book is based on funded research stays at UC Davis, NUS, and UCL. She is an emerging leader in ocean acidification governance, advising governments on climate-ocean policy and shaping negotiations at the IMO.

Product details

• Authors: Annika Frosch
• Publisher: Cambridge Academic
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Release: 31.03.2026
• EAN: 9781009689113
• ISBN: 978-1-009-68911-3
• Illustrations: Worked examples or Exercises
• Series: Transnational Environmental Law
• Subjects: Social sciences, law, business > Business > Economics; United Nations, LAW / Environmental, Environmental Economics, environmental science, engineering & technology, Environmental law, International institutions, Environmental policy & protocols, Environment law, Political, Socio-Economic & Strategic Groupings, Environmental science, engineering and technology, Oceanography (seas and oceans), Oceanography (seas), Environmental policy and protocols, International institutions / intergovernmental organizations