The Use of Icebergs as a Freshwater Resource - an Assessment of the Issues

Picking up on the ever-growing scarcity of freshwater, this research paper seeks to analyse some of the issues surrounding iceberg utilisation as a freshwater resource.<br><br>A brief overview of the non-legal issues such as the technical and economic feasibility and environmental concerns is given. It is pointed out that iceberg harvesting would likely occur in Antarctica or off the coast of Canada, and that iceberg harvesting is technically and economically feasible. Icebergs would be towed by ship to the arid regions of Southern Europe, Australia, the west coast of South America, Southern California, the south-west coast of Africa, and the Middle East. The environmental effects would likely be minimal, but further studies are recommended. <br><br>The main part of the paper looks at the international law issues. Here, too, there appear to be no real impediments to the use of icebergs as a freshwater resource. The harvesting of icebergs would appear to fall under the freedom of the high seas, so that any interested party could pursue such an undertaking. Harvesting rights in waters subject to national sovereignty and sovereign rights, on the other hand, would rest with the respective coastal state. <br><br>However, there are some problems regarding the harvesting of icebergs from the Antarctic because of the uncertainty surrounding the legal regime governing the continent. In this regard, the various possibilities are examined and their effects on the legal aspects of iceberg harvesting. The subsequent transport of icebergs would only raise the general issues that any ship-based transport has to contend with, albeit as specifically applied to the transport of icebergs. The paper also looks at international environmental law. Like with the transport of icebergs, the issues are only general in nature. There is nothing that would prohibit their use.