• Journal of International Area Studies (JIAS)
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.83-108
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• 2011

South America has vast energy resources with the renewable and non-renewable sources. However, many countries in the region are unable to guarantee adequate energy security both of energy supply and demand. Currently the possibility of energy security is high through regional energy integration based on the potential economic benefits. The difference of regulation system with the individual countries in the region impose strong barriers to integration process. Security of energy supply and its demand as well is fundamental issues in this region and regional energy cooperation is essential for getting rid of the insecurity of energy supplies. Despite of this problem, currently Latin American countries made a great effort to make multilateral energy security regime through projecting great energy infrastructure network(e.g. IIRSA) or mechanism especially in South America, which can give countries access to the region's reserve supplies by providing regulations and pricing mechanism with a shared energy market in this region. Brazil's active leading in the formulation of such movement toward energy security integration and participation of energy infrastructure network is good initiative to enforce this great energy security change. Politically and economically, Brazil's geographical position and the level of market size and oil and natural gas resources, in addition the leadership in renewable energy sources make it a sound candidate to take over the coordination of the secure integration of region's energy market. However, on the conditions of existing many obstacles such as, control of the output of the region's power plant, energy flows, the environmental matter within local community must be overcome to make more advance process and steps. Finally, to secure more institutional approach, this region must settle regional disputes resolution regime urgently.

• The Korean Journal of Air & Space Law and Policy
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.153-194
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• 2009

The resources of outer space are for the common exploitation of mankind, and it is a common responsibility of mankind to protect the outer space environment. With the rapid development of space science and technology, and especially with the busy space activities of some major space powers, environmental contamination or space debris is steadily increasing in quantity and has brought grave potential threats and actual damage to the outer space environment and human activities in space. Especially We must mitigate and seek out a solution to remove space debris which poses a threat directly to man's exploitation and use of outer space activities in the Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and in the Geostationary Orbit (GEO), through international cooperation and agreement in the fields of space science, economics, politics and law, in order to safeguard the life and property of mankind and protect the earth's environment. While the issue of space debris has been the subject of scientific study and discussion for some time now, it has yet to be fully addressed within the context of an international legal framework. During the earlier stages of the space age, which began in the late 1950s, the focus of international lawmakers and diplomats was the establishment of basic rules which sought to define the legal nature of outer space and set out the parameters for space activities and the nature and scope of activities carried out in outer space were quite limited. Consequently, environmental issues and the risks that might arise from the generation of space debris did not receive priority attention within the context of the development international space law. In recent years, however, the world has seen dramatic advances in technology and increases in the type and number of space-related activities which are being carried out. In addition, the number of actors in this field has exploded from two highly developed States to a vast array of different States, intergovernmental and nongovernmental organizations, including private industry. Therefore, the number of artificial objects in the near-Earth space is continually increasing. As has been previously mentioned, COPUOS was the entity that created the existing five treaties, and five sets of legal Principles, which form the core of space law, and COPUOS is clearly the most appropriate entity to oversee the creation of this regulatory body for the outer space environmental problem. This idea has been proposed by various States and also at the ILA Conference in Buenos Aires. The ILA Conference in Buenos Aires produced an extensive proposal for such a regulatory regime, dealing with space debris issues in legal terms This article seeks to discuss the status of international law as it relates to outer space environmental problem and space debris and indicate a course of action which might be taken by the international community to develop a legal framework which can adequately cope with the complexity of issues that have recently been recognized. In Section Ⅱ,Ⅲ and IV of this article discuss the current status of international space law, and the extent to which some of the issues raised by earth and space environment are accounted for within the existing United Nations multilateral treaties. Section V and VI discuss the scope and nature of space debris issues as they emerged from the recent multi-year study carried out by the ILA, Scientific and Technical Subcommittee, Legal Subcommittee of the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space ("COPUOS") as a prelude to the matters that will require the attention of international lawmakers in the future. Finally, analyzes the difficulties inherent in the future regulation and control of space debris and the activities to protect the earth's environment. and indicates a possible course of action which could well provide, at the least, a partial solution to this complex challenge.