Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in outer space

This chapter addresses the current interplay between the increasing environmental degradation of the orbital environment and the Earth system. It argues that to tackle this issue in law, the outer space environment needs to be considered in the context of the Earth’s Planetary Boundaries (EPBs). Keeping in mind the planetary boundaries framework, this chapter is a brief mapping exercise and an interpretation of environmental law and corporate social responsibility (CSR) in relation to outer space activities. In general, this chapter calls for further legal interpretation of interactions between outer space law and other legal regimes, as there is an urgent need to provide clarity and guidance on how existing principles of international, national, regional, and transnational law, as well as public-private and hybrid interactions, apply to new and expanding activities in outer space.