Challenges to peace arising from the reconfiguration of state territory amid the sea level rise

The global sea level rise will cause a majority of states to progressively lose land to varying degrees, at varying speeds, creating new territorial inequalities. Besides altering geopolitical relationships, it cannot be ruled out that a state severely impacted by the loss of land may deem the human, material and legal costs of using force to secure additional land from another state would constitute the ‘lesser evil’. The challenges generated by the sea level rise for the maintenance of peace through existing international law, notably the law of the sea, are only starting to be addressed. Affirming the territorial sea's legal status as part of a state’s territory, and retaining the existing baselines from which its maritime zones are measured outward, can be critical factors in jointly minimising threats to peace by preserving the territorial stability of states.