Environmental Rechtvacuum In Asean: The South China Sea Arbitration’s Environmental Precedents And Regional Implementation Challenges

Bilah Samping Artikel

PDF (Inggris)
Diterbitkan: 28-02-2025
DOI: https://doi.org/10.66109/jid.vi.45
Kata Kunci:
environmental rechtvacuum, South China Sea Arbitration, ASEAN environmental law, marine ecosystem protection, implementation gap

Isi Artikel Utama

Silvia Tanaman, Gunawan Widjaja, dan Songga Aurora Abadi

Abstrak

This research aims to analyze environmental law implementation gaps (rechtvacuum) in ASEAN by focusing on the South China Sea Arbitration Award (Philippines v. China) and its impact on regional marine environmental protection. The methodology employs comparative legal analysis of 250 environmental governance documents from ASEAN published between 2016-2025, including content analysis of the arbitration award and regional implementation data. Results demonstrate that the Arbitral Tribunal established six key legal precedents: (1) environmental obligations existing independently of sovereignty disputes, (2) customary international law duties to prevent transboundary harm, (3) due diligence standards for marine protection, (4) ecosystem damage assessment frameworks, (5) mandatory EIA requirements, and (6) state responsibility for private actor environmental crimes. However, analysis of ASEAN documents reveals extremely low incorporation rates, ranging from 5% (non-existent) to 35% (moderate) across all precedent categories. Recent 2025 data shows destruction of 28.3 square kilometers of coral reef with China responsible for 65% of damage. This research reveals a sophisticated form of environmental rechtvacuum where binding legal precedents exist but regional implementation is systematically avoided through consensual paralysis, economic subordination, sovereignty fetishization, and temporal deflection.

Rincian Artikel

Terbitan

Volume 5 Nomor 1, Maret 2025

Bagian

Artikel
Creative Commons License

Artikel ini berlisensi Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Artikel ini dilisensikan di bawah Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0).

Anda diperbolehkan:
Membagikan — menyalin dan menyebarluaskan artikel dalam media atau format apa pun.
Mengadaptasi — menggubah, mengubah, dan membuat turunan dari materi ini untuk tujuan apa pun, termasuk komersial.

Dengan ketentuan:
Atribusi — Anda harus mencantumkan kredit yang sesuai kepada penulis asli dan sumber (Jurnal Identitas, [Tahun], Vol. [X], No. [Y]), menyertakan tautan ke lisensi, serta menunjukkan jika ada perubahan yang dilakukan.

Lisensi lengkap: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Cara Mengutip

Silvia Tanaman, Gunawan Widjaja, dan Songga Aurora Abadi. (2025). Environmental Rechtvacuum In Asean: The South China Sea Arbitration’s Environmental Precedents And Regional Implementation Challenges. Jurnal Identitas, 48-79. https://doi.org/10.66109/jid.vi.45

Referensi

Acharya, A 2021, The ASEAN Way: Principles and Evolution of Regional Governance, World Scientific Publishing, Singapore.

Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative 2025, Satellite-Based Reef Assessment in the South China Sea, Center for Strategic and International Studies, Washington, DC.

ASEAN Secretariat 2016, ASEAN 2025: Forging Ahead Together, ASEAN Secretariat, Jakarta.

ASEAN 2017, Framework for a Code of Conduct in the South China Sea, ASEAN Secretariat, Jakarta.

Fifth ASEAN State of the Environment Report, 2017, ASEAN, dilihat 18 Februari 2025, (https://environment.asean.org/soer5/).

ASEAN 2016-2024, Chairman’s Statements of ASEAN Summits, ASEAN Secretariat, Jakarta.

Basu Das, S 2017, Mind the Gap: Explaining Implementation Shortfalls in the ASEAN Economic Community, ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute, Singapore, ISEAS Economics Working Paper No. 2017-7.

Batongbacal, J 2015, Environmental Agression in South China Sea, Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative, Center for Strategic and International Studies, dilihat 12 Januari (https://amti.csis.org/environmental-aggression-in-the-southchina-sea/).

Beckman, R & Davenport, T 2021, ‘South China Sea arbitral award is not “a piece of waste paper”’, The Straits Times, 30 July, dilihat 28 Januari 2025, (https://cil.nus.edu.sg/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/South-China-Sea-arbitralaward-is-not-a-piece-of-waste-paper-The-Straits-Times.pdf).

Birnie, P, Boyle, A & Redgwell, C 2021, International Law and the Environment (4th ed.), Oxford University Press, Oxford.

Caballero-Anthony, M & Sembiring, M 2021, ‘Cases and implications of environmental insecurity in Southeast Asia’, in Swain, A, Ojendal, J & Jagerskog, A (eds), Handbook of Security and the Environment, Edward Elgar Publishing, Cheltenham, pp.149–161. DOI: https//10.4337/9781789900668.

Center for Strategic and International Studies 2024, Pulling Back the Curtain on China’s Maritime Militia, CSIS, Washington, DC.

Chang, Y.-C 2023, ‘Ocean Governance in the South China Sea: From Conflict to Cooperation?’ Marine Policy, 147, 105378.

Davenport, T 2023, ‘The South China Sea Arbitration: Environmental Aspects Five Years On,’ Asia-Pacific Journal of Ocean Law and Policy, Vol 8, No. 1, pp. 45-72.

Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia 2023, The South China Sea: Economic and Environmental Dimensions, ERIA, Jakarta.

Faure, M & Wibisana, A 2020, Environmental Law in Southeast Asia, Edward Elgar Publishing, Cheltenham.

Franckx, E & Benatar, M 2022, ‘The South China Sea Arbitration: A Test Case for International Environmental Law?’, Netherlands International Law Review, Vol. 69, No. 2, pp. 234-267.

Gullett, W 2024, ‘Environmental Protection in Disputed Waters: Legal Frameworks and Practical Challenges,’ International Journal of Marine and Coastal Law, Vol. 39, No. 1, pp. 78-106.

Gupta, A, Lovbrand, E, Turnhout, E & Vijge, MJ 2012, ‘In pursuit of carbon accountability: the politics of REDD+ measuring, reporting and verification systems’, Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability, Vol. 4, No. 6, pp. 726-731. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cosust.2012.10.004.

Harrison, J 2023, Saving the Oceans Through Law: The International Legal Framework for the Protection of the Marine Environment, Oxford University Press, Oxford.

Hayton, B. 2014, The South China Sea: The Struggle for Power in Asia, Yale University Press, New Haven.

Howlett, M, Vince, JZ & del Río, PD 2017, ‘Policy Integration and Multi-Level Governance: Dealing with the Vertical and Horizontal Dimensions of Policy Mixes’, Politics and Governance, Vol. 5, No. 2, pp. 98-109. DOI: https//doi.org/10.17645/pag.v5i2.928.

International Court of Justice, 2014, Whaling in the Antarctic (Australia v. Japan: New Zealand intervening), Judgment, ICJ Reports 2014, p. 226.

Jordan, A & Huitema, D 2014, ‘Innovations in climate policy: The politics of invention, diffusion, and evaluation’, Environmental Politics, vol. 23, no. 5, pp. 715–734. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/09644016.2014.923614.

Jordan, A & Lenschow, A 2010, ‘Environmental Policy Integration: A State of the Art Review’, Environmental Policy and Governance, Vol. 20, No. 3, pp. 147-158.

Janicke, M & Weidner, H (eds) 1997, National Environmental Policies: A Comparative Study of Capacity-Building, Springer, Berlin. DOl: 10.1007/9783-642-60507-9.

Keyuan, Z 2023, ‘Environmental Protection in the South China Sea: Challenges and Prospects’, Chinese Journal of International Law, Vol. 22, No. 2, pp. 289314.

Koh, KL & Robinson, NA 2002, ‘Regional Environmental Governance: Examining the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Model’, in D.C. Esty & M.H. Ivanova (eds), Global Environmental Governance: Options and Opportunities, Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies, New Haven, pp.101–120.

Koh, KL (ed.) 2009, ASEAN Environmental Law, Policy and Governance: Selected Documents, Volume I, World Scientific, Singapore.

Kojima, M, Iwasaki, F, Johnson, E & Yao, M 2018, Regional Marine Environmental Management in ASEAN, Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia, Jakarta.

Lenschow, A, Liefferink, D & Veenman, S 2005, ‘When the birds sing: A framework for analysing domestic factors behind policy convergence’, Journal of European Public Policy, Vol. 12, No. 5, pp. 797–816, DOI: https//10.1080/13501760500161373.

Lyons, Y 2021, ‘The South China Sea Arbitration: Implications for Marine Environmental Protection,’ Ocean Yearbook, 35, pp. 234-267. McManus, J. W. 2017, ‘Offshore coral reef damage, overfishing, and paths to peace in the South China Sea’, International Journal of Marine and Coastal Law, vol. 32, no. 2, pp. 199-237

McManus, JW, Shao, K-T & Lin, S-Y 2010, ‘Toward establishing a Spratly Islands International Marine Peace Park: ecological importance and supportive collaborative activities with an emphasis on the role of Taiwan’, Ocean Development & International Law, Vol. 41, No. 3, pp.270–280.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Cambodia 2024, Statement on ASEAN Unity and the South China Sea, MFA Cambodia, Phnom Penh.

Mora, C, Caldwell, IR, Birkeland, C & McManus, JW 2016, ‘Dredging in the Spratly Islands: Gaining Land but Losing Reefs’, PLOS Biology, Vol. 14, No. 3, e1002422, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.1002422.

Nguyen, HT 2023, ‘The Effectiveness of ASEAN Environmental Governance: A Critical Assessment’, Asian Journal of Comparative Law, Vol. 18, No. 1, pp. 123-149.

Oberthur, S 2016, ‘Institutional interaction, interplay management, and climate change’, WIREs Climate Change, vol. 7, no. 1, pp. 47–63.

Owen, NA & Schofield, CH 2023, ‘Disputed South China Sea Hydrocarbons in Perspective’, Marine Policy, 147, 105123.

Permanent Court of Arbitration 2015, The Arctic Sunrise Arbitration (Netherlands v. Russia), PCA Case No. 2014-0, PCA, The Hague.

Permanent Court of Arbitratio 2016, The South China Sea Arbitration (The Republic of the Philippines v. The People’s Republic of China): Award of 12 July 2016, PCA Case No. 2013-19, PCA, The Hague.

Philippine Coast Guard, 2024, Report on Giant Clam Harvesting in Philippine Waters, PCG, Manila.

Philippine Department of Justice 2025, Legal Strategy for Second South China Sea Arbitration, DOJ, Manila.

Poling, GB 2025, ‘How to Slay a Giant: Reviving the South China Sea Arbitration’, CSIS Commentary, January 17, 2025.

Pressman, JL & Wildavsky, A 1984, Implementation (3rd ed.), University of California Press, Berkeley.

Proukaki, KE 2018, The Problem of Enforcement in International Law: Countermeasures, the Non-Injured State and the Idea of International Public Order, Hart Publishing, Oxford.

Radio Free Asia 2025, ‘South China Sea: Massive chunk of coral reef destroyed by island-building rivals’, January 31, 2025.

Rayfuse, R 2023, ‘Climate Change, Marine Biodiversity and International Law’, In EJ Techera et al. (Eds.), Routledge Handbook of International Marine Environmental Law, Routledge, London, pp. 123-142.

Razzaque, J 2012, Environmental Governance in Europe and Asia: A Comparative studu of institutional and legislative frameworks, Routledge, London.

Rio Declaration on Environment and Development 1992, United Nations, UN Doc. A/CONF.151/26.

Reuters 2025, ‘Philippines to pick venue soon for second South China Sea case against Beijing’, January 23, 2025.

Roberts, CB et al 2024, ‘The Role of Regional Organizations in Implementing International Environmental Law’, Global Environmental Politics, Vol. 24, No. 1, pp. 89-112.

Rothwell, DR & Stephens, T 2023, The International Law of the Sea (3rd ed.), Hart Publishing, Oxford.

Sand, PH 2024, ‘Marine Environmental Protection in Disputed Maritime Areas: Emerging Principles’, Environmental Policy and Law, Vol. 54, No. 2, pp. 123-138.

Sato, M, Pretat, H, Mallory, TG, Chen, H & Gregory Poling, 2023, Deep Blue Scars: Environmental Threats to the South China Sea, Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative, Center for Strategic and International Studies, Washington, DC.

Schofield, C & Arsana, A 2023, ‘Beyond the Limits: Evaluating the Impact of the South China Sea Arbitration Award’, International Journal of Marine and Coastal Law, Vol. 38, No. 4, pp. 567-592.

Sembiring, M 2020, ‘Climate Change and Regional Cooperation in Southeast Asia’, in M Caballero-Anthony & L Gong (eds), Non-Traditional Security Issues in ASEAN, ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute, Singapore, pp. 28–66.

Shao, G 2024, ‘China’s Environmental Protection Efforts in the South China Sea: Reality or Rhetoric?’, Marine Pollution Bulletin, 198, 115234.

South China Sea Arbitration Ruling: What Happened and What’s Next? 2016, USChina Economic and Security Review Commission.

Storey, I 2020, ‘The South China Sea Dispute in 2020–2021’, ISEAS Perspective, No.97, 3 September.

Supreme Court of the Philippines 2023, Jurisprudence on Environmental Protection in Maritime Zones, Supreme Court, Manila.

Tanaka, Y 2023, The South China Sea Arbitration: Toward an International Legal Order in the Oceans, Hart Publishing, Oxford.

The Economic Costs of Environmental Degradation in the South China Sea 2023, World Bank.

Trail Smelter Arbitration (United States v. Canada), 3 RIAA 1905 (1938/1941).

Transforming Our World: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development 2015, United Nation, UN Doc. A/RES/70/1.

United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea 1982, United Nations,1833 UNTS 3.

Valencia, MJ 2023, ‘The South China Sea Disputes: Environmental Dimensions of the Conflict’, Ocean & Coastal Management, 234, 106234.

Vu, HD 2024, ‘Vietnam’s Approach to Environmental Protection in the South China Sea’, Vietnam Law Review, Vol. 12, No. 1, pp. 45-67.

Wang, J 2023, ‘The South China Sea Arbitration and China’s Response: Legal and Policy Analysis’, Chinese Journal of International Law, Vol. 22, No. 4, pp. 678-702.

Wolanski, E & Choukroun, S 2020, ‘Physical Oceanographic Processes Affecting Coral Reefs of the Spratly Islands, South China Sea’, Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, 237, 106685.

Wong, MS 2024, ‘ASEAN and Environmental Security: Progress and Challenges’, Pacific Affairs, Vol. 97, No. 1, pp. 123-145.

Yanagihara, M 2023, ‘State Responsibility for Environmental Damage in Disputed Maritime Areas’, Japanese Yearbook of International Law, Vol. 66, pp. 234-267.

Zhang, H 2024, ‘Giant Clam Harvesting in the South China Sea: Environmental Crime and Enforcement Challenges’, Marine Policy, 149, 105234.

Zou, K 2023, ‘The South China Sea Arbitration Awards: A Critical Study’, Asian Journal of International Law, Vol.13, No. 2, pp. 345-378.