Falepili Union Treaty: A Concrete Solution Initiative Relating to Climate Change and Sea Level Rise

Öz

One of the most prominent problems of climate change would be the sinking of island States due to the phenomenon of sea level rise. According to the scientists most of the low-lying island States located in the Pacific and even in the Indian Ocean would disappear in the foreseeable future. If this happens, many problems will likely to emerge in social, economic, political and legal fields. Hence, legal problems that would appear could be classified in two main categories. The first category should deal with maritime boundaries of these States. Second category should rise questions on the future of the legal status of their statehood and future fate of the people that reside in the territories of the States concerned. Thus, many discussions have taken place in various planes. Finally, a treaty between Australia and Tuvalu have been concluded; the former, being one of the most important States contributed to the climate change itself, and the latter, being one of the most probable States that would be affected by this phenomenon. In this respect, the main purpose of this article is to analyse the said treaty in legal context. So as to achieve, the arrangement of the titles is presented as such: Probable effects of sea level rise due to the climate change and Tuvalu; Proposals regarding the territorial aspects of the sea level rise problem; Analysis of the provisions and its contents of the said Treaty.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Sea Level Rise
• Tuvalu
• Sovereignty
• Uti Possidetis Principle
• Falepili Union Treaty

Falepili Birliği Antlaşması: İklim Değişikliği ve Deniz Seviyesi Artışına Dâir Somut Bir Çözüm Girişimi

Öz

İklim değişikliğinin en önde gelen sorunlarından biri, deniz seviyesindeki artışa bağlı olarak ada devletlerinin batması olmaktadır. Bilim insanlarına göre, Pasifik hatta Hint Okyanuslarında konumlanan alçak seviyedeki ada devletleri görülebilir bir gelecekte yok olacaktır. Eğer bu gerçekleşirse, sosyal, iktisadi, siyasi ve hukuki alanlarda birçok sorunun ortaya çıkması muhtemeldir. Böylelikle, hukuki sorunlar iki ana kategoride ele alınabilir. İlk kategori bu devletlerin deniz sınırlarıyla ilgilidir. İkinci kategori ise, bu devletlerin gelecekteki hukuki statüleri ve ilgili devletlerin halklarının gelecekteki kaderine ilişkin soruları gündeme taşımalıdır. Böylelikle, çeşitli düzeylerde tartışmalar yapılagelmiştir. Nihayetinde Avustralya ve Tuvalu arasında bir antlaşma bağıtlanmıştır ki; ilki iklim değişikliğine katkısı bulunan en önemli devletlerden biriyken, ikincisi bu fenomenden en fazla etkilenme olasılığı olan devletlerden biridir. Bu çerçevede, bu makalenin temel amacı bu antlaşmanın hukuki bağlamda analizi olmaktadır. Bunun yapılması için bölümler şu şekilde düzenlenmiştir: İklim değişikliği çerçevesinde deniz seviyesinin artışının muhtemel etkileri ve Tuvalu; Deniz seviyesi artışına dair ülkesellik açısından getirilen çözüm önerileri; Antlaşma hükümlerinin ve içeriklerinin değerlendirilmesi.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Falepili Birlik Anlaşması
• Deniz Seviyesi Artışı
• Tuvalu
• Egemenlik
• Uti Possidetis İlkesi

Kaynakça

1. 1933 tarihli Devletlerin Haklarına ve Ödevlerine Dâir Montevideo Sözleşmesi
2. 1961 tarihli Diplomatik İlişkilere Dâir Viyana Sözleşmesi
3. 1963 tarihli Afrika Birliği Örgütünün Kahire Bildirisi
4. 1982 tarihli Birleşmiş Milletler Deniz Hukuku Sözleşmesi
5. 1984 tarihli Rarotonga Antlaşması
6. 2023 tarihli Beyaz Saray Bilgilendirme Notu
7. 2023 tarihli Devlet Devamlılığı ve İklim Değişikliğiyle İlgili Deniz Seviyesi Artışı Karşısında Şahısların Korunmasına Dâir Bildirge
8. 2023 tarihli Avustralya-Tuvalu Arasında Falepili Birliğine Dâir Antlaşma

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