Slovenia – USA: Proposal for a new human right to protect people from threats from above (airspace and outer-space)

ABOUT THE PROJECT

Over the last century, humans have transformed airspace chemically, territorially, militarily and psychologically. Technological developments mean this transformation is accelerating and becoming increasingly complex. There is a widening disparity in the global landscape of power, with civilians increasingly subject to expanding commercial and military exploitation of technology in airspace and outer space as well as to the consequences of climate change. The associated threats are not adequately addressed by the contemporary legal framework. There is an urgent need for new thinking. One aspect of airspace requiring development is the human rights dimension.

States, Militaries, Big Tech, and an array of other familiar and emergent actors, are exploiting airspace and outer space to make violence and killing functional, and routine. The rapid proliferation and interconnection of satellites, digital infrastructures, drones, algorithms and smartphones forge a new nexus of civilian vulnerabilities to surveillance, targeting, tracking, traumatising and killing. ‘Patterns of life’ is the euphemism of this era. The truth is that perpetual surveillance, digital identification and targeting create present-day and future generations of traumatised civilians and, ultimately, patterns of death.

People are increasingly vulnerable to being tracked, watched and targeted from above. Combat drones are escalating, and new robotic assailants are being developed. Individuals are at growing risk of being tracked and targeted through data mining. For instance, geolocating via smartphones and mapping geotagged photographs reveal a person’s “life patterns”. Meanwhile, emerging developments in atmospheric geoengineering technologies designed to combat global warming raise major ethical concerns regarding climate governance and their potential global impact on people. The psychological impacts of unrelenting threats from the sky are debilitating and long term. And so in this rapidly changing world, human rights protection needs to evolve. In this context, the recognition of a new human right to protect the freedom to live without physical or psychological threats from above is proposed.

Project number: BI-US/25-26-089

Duration: 1. 7. 2024 – 30. 6. 2026