Toward Digital Existence of the Climate-Deterritorialized States (CDSs)
Corresponding Author(s) : Mr. Islam Mitwalli
Journal of Law and Emerging Technologies,
Vol. 5 No. 2 (2025)
Abstract
This study examines whether a State can preserve its international legal personality and sovereign functions when territorial presence becomes impossible, and whether digital infrastructures can serve as an ex-situ platform for continuity. Drawing on Portmann’s theory of international personality, Crawford’s doctrine of state continuity, and Talmon’s analysis of governments-in-exile, the article argues that international law has long located statehood in identity, attribution, and institutional capacity rather than in physical geography.
Building on contemporary practice -including the ILC’s work on sea-level rise, ITLOS’s advisory opinion, and the Falepili Union Treaty- the paper proposes an operational model for “digital existence” grounded in three requirements: verifiable identity, reviewable records, and reproducible sovereign functions. The analysis shows that a State’s legal existence can be maintained ex-situ through a digitally reviewable architecture, provided its institutions, archives, and decision-making processes remain externally testable.
The article concludes that digital statehood is not a departure from classical doctrine but a structurally consistent extension of it, offering a viable pathway for continuity in an era of climate disruption and technological acceleration.
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- Crawford J, The Creation of States in International Law (2nd edn, OUP 2006).
- Portmann R, Legal Personality in International Law (Cambridge University Press 2010).
- Talmon S, Recognition of Governments in International Law: With Particular Reference to Governments in Exile (OUP 1998).
- Andrew Heywood, Key Concepts in Politics (Palgrave 2000).
- Derek Croxton, Westphalia: The Last Christian Peace (Palgrave Macmillan 2013).
- Grönlund Å and Horan TA, ‘Introducing e-Gov: History, Definitions, and Issues’ (2004) 15 Communications of the Association for Information Systems 713.
- Johan Ödalen, ‘Underwater Self-Determination: Sea-level Rise and Deterritorialized Small Island States’ (2014) 17 Ethics, Policy & Environment 133.
- Craymer L, ‘Tuvalu’s Digital Government and Climate Adaptation’ (2023) Asia Pacific Report.
- Richard Ashcraft, Revolutionary Politics and Locke’s “Two Treatises of Government” (Princeton University Press 1986).
- Meaghan Laidlaw, ‘Cascading Consequences of Sinking States’ (2023) 59(2) Stanford Journal of International Law.
- Bo Peng, ‘Digital Leadership: State Governance in the Era of Digital Technology’ (2022) Cultures of Science.
- Convention Relating to the Status of Stateless Persons (1954) 360 UNTS 117.
- Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness (1961) 989 UNTS 175.
- Australia–Tuvalu, Falepili Union Treaty (in force 28 August 2024) Australian DFAT.
- Regulation (EU) 2024/1183 on a European Digital Identity Framework [2024] OJ L 202/1.
- International Law Commission (ILC), ‘Sea-level rise in relation to international law’ (2023) UN Doc A/78/10.
- Pacific Islands Forum (PIF), Declaration on Preserving Maritime Zones in the Face of Climate Change-related Sea-Level Rise (11 August 2021).
- ITLOS, Request for Advisory Opinion submitted by the Commission of Small Island States (COSIS) (Advisory Opinion, 21 May 2024, Case No 31).
- UN DESA, United Nations E-Government Survey 2024 (UN 2024).
- Montevideo Convention on the Rights and Duties of States (1933).
- Venice Commission, Code of Good Practice in Electoral Matters (2nd rev edn, 2020).
- IPCC, AR6 WGI Summary for Policymakers (2021).
- IPCC, AR6 Synthesis Report (2023)
References
Crawford J, The Creation of States in International Law (2nd edn, OUP 2006).
Portmann R, Legal Personality in International Law (Cambridge University Press 2010).
Talmon S, Recognition of Governments in International Law: With Particular Reference to Governments in Exile (OUP 1998).
Andrew Heywood, Key Concepts in Politics (Palgrave 2000).
Derek Croxton, Westphalia: The Last Christian Peace (Palgrave Macmillan 2013).
Grönlund Å and Horan TA, ‘Introducing e-Gov: History, Definitions, and Issues’ (2004) 15 Communications of the Association for Information Systems 713.
Johan Ödalen, ‘Underwater Self-Determination: Sea-level Rise and Deterritorialized Small Island States’ (2014) 17 Ethics, Policy & Environment 133.
Craymer L, ‘Tuvalu’s Digital Government and Climate Adaptation’ (2023) Asia Pacific Report.
Richard Ashcraft, Revolutionary Politics and Locke’s “Two Treatises of Government” (Princeton University Press 1986).
Meaghan Laidlaw, ‘Cascading Consequences of Sinking States’ (2023) 59(2) Stanford Journal of International Law.
Bo Peng, ‘Digital Leadership: State Governance in the Era of Digital Technology’ (2022) Cultures of Science.
Convention Relating to the Status of Stateless Persons (1954) 360 UNTS 117.
Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness (1961) 989 UNTS 175.
Australia–Tuvalu, Falepili Union Treaty (in force 28 August 2024) Australian DFAT.
Regulation (EU) 2024/1183 on a European Digital Identity Framework [2024] OJ L 202/1.
International Law Commission (ILC), ‘Sea-level rise in relation to international law’ (2023) UN Doc A/78/10.
Pacific Islands Forum (PIF), Declaration on Preserving Maritime Zones in the Face of Climate Change-related Sea-Level Rise (11 August 2021).
ITLOS, Request for Advisory Opinion submitted by the Commission of Small Island States (COSIS) (Advisory Opinion, 21 May 2024, Case No 31).
UN DESA, United Nations E-Government Survey 2024 (UN 2024).
Montevideo Convention on the Rights and Duties of States (1933).
Venice Commission, Code of Good Practice in Electoral Matters (2nd rev edn, 2020).
IPCC, AR6 WGI Summary for Policymakers (2021).
IPCC, AR6 Synthesis Report (2023)