Common but Differentiated Responsibility – A Principle to Maintain Space Environment with Respect to Space Debris
- Paper number
IAC-07-E6.3.07
- Author
Dr. M.Y.S. Prasad, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), India
- Coauthor
Dr. Rajeev Lochan, Indian Space Research Organisation, India
- Year
2007
- Abstract
Space Debris situation is in focus of all Space faring countries for quite sometime. Many other non-space faring countries have also caught up with the awareness on the need to limit the Space Debris and maintain the space environment clean. Two proactive initiatives taken up were the studies by Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Group (IADC), and the debate on the Space Debris Mitigation Guidelines in the UN Committee on Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UNCOPUOS). The guidelines worked out cover a wide range of technical areas and actions to be taken for Space Debris Mitigation. The effective approach in the long term would be a combination of technical solutions and arriving at a set of “Rules of the Game”. These rules can be in the form of Principles, Agreement or can be an UN Treaty on Space Debris depending on the level of consensus among various Nations. However, two aspects are very clear – limiting of Space Debris is a part of broader strategy of maintaining Space Environment, and the contribution to the present level of Space Debris is proportional to number of launches carried out by each country in the past. The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UN FCCC), dealing with a different subject, had introduced a very important category of responsibility called “Common but differentiated responsibilities”. This was based on the largest share to the emissions of green house gases by developed countries, relatively low level of per capita emissions from developing countries, and the share of global emissions for the developing countries to be decided consistent with their social and developmental needs. It simply means the responsibility for maintaining and improving the environment is common to all countries, but at the same time major responsibility to limit emission of green house gases rests with the developed countries, who contributed maximum to the present state of environmental pollution. This principle of “Common but differentiated responsibility” applies equally well for the Space Debris situation, in the view of the authors. Similarly, certain innovative mechanisms which were introduced in the UN FCCC and Kyoto Protocol can also be adopted for Space Debris area. This paper describes the principle of ‘Common but differentiated responsibility’, its possible application to Space Debris Mitigation in future, various mechanisms which can be innovatively brought in to motivate the countries to maintain Space clean and with relatively low level of debris. The aim of the paper is to introduce new ideas, which can be considered in future by the Legal Experts as and when they examine and develop Space Debris Legal Regime.
- Abstract document
- Manuscript document
IAC-07-E6.3.07.pdf (🔒 authorized access only).
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