Carolin König works as a lawyer in a law firm specializing in energy law. Her personal focus is on international law and the climate policy aspects of energy law. She studied law at the Ludwig-Maximilians-University of Munich and the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven and holds a PhD in international law.She was a research assistant at the Institute for International Law with a focus on International Human Rights Protection at the University of the German Armed Forces in Munich. She also gained professional experience at the German Foreign Office, in various law firms, including in the field of asylum law, and as legal advisor to the Permanent Mission of the Maldives to the United Nations.

• A. Introduction A Brief Overview of the Science Behind Climate-Change-Induced Rising Sea LevelsSmall Island States, the Rising Seas, and the International CommunityThe Rising Seas and International Law – Open Questions and How to Find AnswersB. What does an Entity Need to Qualify as a State? – or What it Takes to be a StateC. When does a State Cease to Exist? – or What it Takes Not to be a State AnymoreLoss of TerritoryCriterion "A Defined Territory" Endangered by the Rising Seas?Statehood Endangered by the Loss of "A Defined Territory"?Examples of Rights and Duties Associated with SovereigntySovereign Action on Foreign Territorya) Cases of Interventionist Actions on Foreign Territoryb) Cases of Tolerated Actions on Foreign Territoryc) Limitations on Action on Foreign Territory as a ConsequenceOther Forms of SovereigntyConclusionExamples of "Statehood" without TerritoryNon-Territorial UnionsSovereign Subjects of International Law without TerritoryStates that Temporarily Lost their TerritoryVirtual StatesConclusionStates’ Considerations with Regard to Potential Loss of TerritoryConclusionLoss of PopulationConcluding Thoughts on What it Takes Not to be a State AnymoreD. What it Means to be a State – the Emergence of the Modern State and its Significance TodayRights of a Modern StateChallenges for the Contemporary Concept of a StateHumanization – the Increasing Importance of the IndividualGlobalization – the Decreasing Importance of Territory?Concluding Thoughts on What it Means to be a StateE. What it Means Not to be a State Anymore – the Consequences of the Loss of Statehood for the State’s Population and the International CommunityLoss of Statehood and its Effects on the Respective Populations - Individual and Collective DimensionNationality and Why Having a State is (Still) Important for the Protection of Human RightsEmerging Infringements on the Human Rights of (Indigenous) Peoples from Small Island States due to Rising Sea LevelsCollective Dimension of Human Rights Infringements due to Climate ChangeConclusionLoss of Statehood - Triggering a Responsibility of the International Community?Human Rights ApproachResponsibility that Comes with SolidarityResponsibility to ProtectCausal ResponsibilityResponsibility of the One Able to RespondConclusionConcluding Thoughts on What it Means Not to be a State AnymoreF. Closing Remarks

Carolin König works as a lawyer in a law firm specializing in energy law. Her personal focus is on international law and the climate policy aspects of energy law. She studied law at the Ludwig-Maximilians-University of Munich and the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven and holds a PhD in international law.She was a research assistant at the Institute for International Law with a focus on International Human Rights Protection at the University of the German Armed Forces in Munich. She also gained professional experience at the German Foreign Office, in various law firms, including in the field of asylum law, and as legal advisor to the Permanent Mission of the Maldives to the United Nations.

• A. Introduction A Brief Overview of the Science Behind Climate-Change-Induced Rising Sea LevelsSmall Island States, the Rising Seas, and the International CommunityThe Rising Seas and International Law – Open Questions and How to Find AnswersB. What does an Entity Need to Qualify as a State? – or What it Takes to be a StateC. When does a State Cease to Exist? – or What it Takes Not to be a State AnymoreLoss of TerritoryCriterion "A Defined Territory" Endangered by the Rising Seas?Statehood Endangered by the Loss of "A Defined Territory"?Examples of Rights and Duties Associated with SovereigntySovereign Action on Foreign Territorya) Cases of Interventionist Actions on Foreign Territoryb) Cases of Tolerated Actions on Foreign Territoryc) Limitations on Action on Foreign Territory as a ConsequenceOther Forms of SovereigntyConclusionExamples of "Statehood" without TerritoryNon-Territorial UnionsSovereign Subjects of International Law without TerritoryStates that Temporarily Lost their TerritoryVirtual StatesConclusionStates’ Considerations with Regard to Potential Loss of TerritoryConclusionLoss of PopulationConcluding Thoughts on What it Takes Not to be a State AnymoreD. What it Means to be a State – the Emergence of the Modern State and its Significance TodayRights of a Modern StateChallenges for the Contemporary Concept of a StateHumanization – the Increasing Importance of the IndividualGlobalization – the Decreasing Importance of Territory?Concluding Thoughts on What it Means to be a StateE. What it Means Not to be a State Anymore – the Consequences of the Loss of Statehood for the State’s Population and the International CommunityLoss of Statehood and its Effects on the Respective Populations - Individual and Collective DimensionNationality and Why Having a State is (Still) Important for the Protection of Human RightsEmerging Infringements on the Human Rights of (Indigenous) Peoples from Small Island States due to Rising Sea LevelsCollective Dimension of Human Rights Infringements due to Climate ChangeConclusionLoss of Statehood - Triggering a Responsibility of the International Community?Human Rights ApproachResponsibility that Comes with SolidarityResponsibility to ProtectCausal ResponsibilityResponsibility of the One Able to RespondConclusionConcluding Thoughts on What it Means Not to be a State AnymoreF. Closing Remarks

Carolin König works as a lawyer in a law firm specializing in energy law. Her personal focus is on international law and the climate policy aspects of energy law. She studied law at the Ludwig-Maximilians-University of Munich and the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven and holds a PhD in international law.She was a research assistant at the Institute for International Law with a focus on International Human Rights Protection at the University of the German Armed Forces in Munich. She also gained professional experience at the German Foreign Office, in various law firms, including in the field of asylum law, and as legal advisor to the Permanent Mission of the Maldives to the United Nations.

• A. Introduction A Brief Overview of the Science Behind Climate-Change-Induced Rising Sea LevelsSmall Island States, the Rising Seas, and the International CommunityThe Rising Seas and International Law – Open Questions and How to Find AnswersB. What does an Entity Need to Qualify as a State? – or What it Takes to be a StateC. When does a State Cease to Exist? – or What it Takes Not to be a State AnymoreLoss of TerritoryCriterion "A Defined Territory" Endangered by the Rising Seas?Statehood Endangered by the Loss of "A Defined Territory"?Examples of Rights and Duties Associated with SovereigntySovereign Action on Foreign Territorya) Cases of Interventionist Actions on Foreign Territoryb) Cases of Tolerated Actions on Foreign Territoryc) Limitations on Action on Foreign Territory as a ConsequenceOther Forms of SovereigntyConclusionExamples of "Statehood" without TerritoryNon-Territorial UnionsSovereign Subjects of International Law without TerritoryStates that Temporarily Lost their TerritoryVirtual StatesConclusionStates’ Considerations with Regard to Potential Loss of TerritoryConclusionLoss of PopulationConcluding Thoughts on What it Takes Not to be a State AnymoreD. What it Means to be a State – the Emergence of the Modern State and its Significance TodayRights of a Modern StateChallenges for the Contemporary Concept of a StateHumanization – the Increasing Importance of the IndividualGlobalization – the Decreasing Importance of Territory?Concluding Thoughts on What it Means to be a StateE. What it Means Not to be a State Anymore – the Consequences of the Loss of Statehood for the State’s Population and the International CommunityLoss of Statehood and its Effects on the Respective Populations - Individual and Collective DimensionNationality and Why Having a State is (Still) Important for the Protection of Human RightsEmerging Infringements on the Human Rights of (Indigenous) Peoples from Small Island States due to Rising Sea LevelsCollective Dimension of Human Rights Infringements due to Climate ChangeConclusionLoss of Statehood - Triggering a Responsibility of the International Community?Human Rights ApproachResponsibility that Comes with SolidarityResponsibility to ProtectCausal ResponsibilityResponsibility of the One Able to RespondConclusionConcluding Thoughts on What it Means Not to be a State AnymoreF. Closing Remarks