A Twitter thread from the U.S. representative to COPUOS.
A thread on why outer space is not a global commons! #spacelaw #globalcommons #spacepolicy
1) "Global commons" is an ill-defined term. Different people mean different things: some mean "area beyond territorial jurisdiction", others something political, regarding rights.
— Gabriel Swiney (@Monkeybane_DC) July 16, 2018
How could it be a global commons? It’s not even on the globe!
</Miss Teen Podunk>
The space debris issue is precisely because space is treated as a global commons. It is the modern embodiment of the Tragedy of the Commons. No one owns space, so everyone has the incentive to use it to the fullest, even if they leave a mess behind. And because no one owns space, no one has the responsibility to clean up the debris. The OST of 1967 basically makes it illegal to remove another nation’s debris, at least without their permission.