The use of the sea and air is common to all; neither can a title to the ocean belong to any people or private persons, forasmuch as neither nature nor public use and custom permit any possession thereof.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Natural resources like sea and air cannot be owned by anyone.
- In plain terms
- No one can claim ownership of the ocean.
- What can you take from it?
- Nature belongs to everyone equally.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Should resources be shared?
- How do we enforce this?
Another view
Modern laws sometimes grant exclusive rights to coastal states.
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