Addressing Global Governance Gaps in Planetary Defense

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Addressing Global Governance Gaps in Planetary Defense

Boháček, Petr

The existing formats of global governance are being challenged by various factors, including the rise of new state and non-state powers, the proliferation of technologies as critical sources of strength, growing geopolitical rivalry, and a new set of global challenges requiring a solution. Planetary defense as a global threat allows us to discuss the ability of the existing system of global governance, the United Nations architecture, to deal with global security challenges. The article firstly describes the physical characteristics of the threat presented by near-Earth objects (NEOs), and the existing international cooperation frameworks, before analyzing the suitability of the current UN decision-making mechanisms for planetary defense (UN Security Council and UN General Assembly). Specifically, we discuss sources of legitimacy for such decision-making. We focus on scientific authority, criticality, effectivity, and inclusivity as the main sources of legitimacy and evaluate them in the context of the characteristics of the NEOs threat, the challenges of the contemporary global political environment, and existing mechanisms in the UN. Finally, we describe the suitability of an ad hoc decision-making body that reflects the natural characteristics, geopolitical challenges, and limits of the existing UN system as the desirable global governance mechanisms for planetary defense.