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 83. The UN Conference on the Law of Sea was the most ambitious attempt ever to provide an internationally agreed regime for the management of the oceans. All nations should ratify the Law of the Sea Treaty as soon as possible. Fisheries agreements should be strengthened to prevent current overexploitation, as should conventions to control and regulate the dumping of hazardous wastes at sea.

84. There are growing concerns about the management of orbital space, centring on using satellite technology for monitoring planetary systems; on making the most effective use of the limited capacities of geosynchronous orbit for, communications satellites; and on limiting space debris. The orbiting and testing of weapons, in space would greatly increase this debris. The international community should seek to design and implement a space regime to ensure that space remains a peaceful environment or the benefit of all.

85. Antarctica is managed under the 1959 Antarctica Treaty. However, many nations outside of that pact view the Treaty System as too limited, both in participation and in the scope of its conservation, measure. The Commission's recommendations deal with the safeguarding of present achievements; the incorporation of any minerals development into a management regime; and various options for the future. (See Chapter 10 for more discussion on issues and recommendations on the management of the commons.)

86. Among the dangers facing the environment. the possibility of nuclear war is undoubtedly the gravest. Certain aspects of the issues of peace and security bear directly upon the concept of sustainable development. The whole notion of security as traditionally understood in terms of political and military threats to national sovereignty must be expanded to include the growing impact of environmental stress locally, nationally, regionally, and globally. There are no military solutions to 'environmental insecurity'

87. Governments and international agencies should assess the cost effectiveness, in re:ms of achieving security, of money spent on armaments compared with money pent on reducing poverty or restoring a ravaged environment.

88. But the greatest need is to achieve improved relations among those major powers capable of deploying weapons of destruction. This is needed to achieve agreement on tighter control over the proliferation and testing of various types of weapons of mass destruction nuclear and non nuclear including those that have environmental implications. (See Chapter 11 for more discussion of issues and recommendations on the links between peace, security, development, and the environment.)

89. The Report that follows contain throughout (and especially in Chapter 12), many specific recommendations for institutional /…