From impact refugees to deterritorialized states: foresighting extreme legal-policy cases in asteroid impact scenarios

TL;DR

This paper explores the legal and policy challenges of asteroid impact scenarios, proposing new frameworks for impact refugees and deterritorialized states within international law to ensure global safety and cooperation.

Contribution

It introduces novel legal concepts and policy considerations for managing extraterrestrial threats, emphasizing the need for cooperative international responses and redefined state sovereignty.

Findings

Legal frameworks must adapt to asteroid impact scenarios.

Impact refugees require new legal definitions.

International cooperation is essential for effective response.

Abstract

Throughout recorded history, humans have crossed national borders to seek safety in nearby countries. The reasons for displacement have been generated by phenomena of terrestrial origin, but exposure to unexpected extra-terrestrial threats poses a different scenario. An asteroid impact warning implies a change of paradigm which would represent a historic precedent. In this regard, the analogies with natural disasters must be considered, along with multiple possible scenarios, and legal aspects related to a) the legal framework to regulate this situation; b) the action and responsibility of the states; and c) the definition of impact refugee and the reconfiguration of traditional concepts such as deterritorialized states. In addition, the decision-making process and the actors involved must be led by a cooperative effort to improve international law. These new circumstances should be established with a consideration of inequalities between the states, and an aim of protecting humanity through democratic solutions using the safest, most effective techniques.