Seasteading is the creation of permanent dwellings in international waters, so-called seasteads, that are independent of established governments. No one has yet created a structure on the high seas that has been recognized as a sovereign state. Proposed structures have included modified cruise ships, refitted oil platforms, and custom-built floating islands.[1]
Some proponents say seasteads can "provide the means for rapid innovation in voluntary governance and reverse environmental damage to our oceans ... and foster entrepreneurship."[2] Some critics fear seasteads may function more as a refuge for the wealthy to avoid taxes or other obligations.[3]
While seasteading may guarantee some freedom from unwanted rules, high seas are being regulated, in particular in terms of cruise ship industry.[4]
The term seasteading is a blend of sea and homesteading, and dates back to the 1960s.[5]
- ^ Mangu-Ward, Katherine (28 April 2008). "Homesteading on the High Seas: Floating Burning Man, "jurisdictional arbitrage," and other adventures in anarchism". Reason Magazine. Retrieved 28 February 2009.
- ^ Seasteading.org: Why Steastead?
- ^ Wong, Julia Carrie (2 January 2017). "Seasteading: tech leaders' plans for floating city trouble French Polynesians". The Guardian.
- ^ Elmhirst, Sophie (7 September 2021). "The disastrous voyage of Satoshi, the world's first cryptocurrency cruise ship". The Guardian.
- ^ Oxford English Dictionary: seasteading