If you come across a floating package in the middle of the ocean, just drifting away, can you claim ownership over it? You might think, “Sure, why not? Finders keepers.” However, it’s hardly that simple as it depends on several underlying factors. For one, there might be competing property interests. The parties here can typically be narrowed down to two key players: the original owner of the goods and the party that finds it. However, in some cases, there may be a third-party interest. This can occur when the first party to retrieve the floating goods unintentionally loses control of it, letting it float away again and a new finder retrieves it.

Tuvalu’s sinking raises questions about the private property interests of Tuvaluan property owners. Using American property law as a reference point, we can uncover approaches to answer whether Tuvalu’s national status can be preserved under a theory of property.

Colorado Springs is renowned for its majestic views of the Pikes Peak mountain, overlooking the entire Eastern plains of Colorado. When viewing a map of Colorado Springs, it is evident that the city has grown naturally in accordance with each property getting to have a stellar view of this crown jewel in the rockies. What makes the map particularly unique is its vertical sprawl—from North to South—each neighborhood seems almost curated towards this particular peak. However, new developments (and developers) have arrived in “the Springs” to attempt to ameliorate the local ongoing housing crisis. This proposed development (dubbed “One Vela”) would place a 27-story skyscraper right in the heart of downtown, a record-breaking 11 stories taller than the current tallest building in the city. Many Springs locals claim this is against the centuries long ban on tall buildings in the city—but is this a fact or fiction?

A Canadian company, The Metals Company (TMC), recently applied for U.S. government approval to mine the deep seabed. Specifically, parts of the Pacific Ocean outside any country’s borders. Instead of going through the usual international process run by the United Nations International Seabed Authority, TMC is asking for a license under U.S. law called the Deep Seabed Hard Mineral Resources Act (DSHMRA), which allows U.S. companies to explore the ocean floors.

Can a single farmer hold a multinational energy company accountable for climate change? That’s the question at the heart of a lawsuit brought by Peruvian farmer Saúl Luciano Lliuya against German energy giant RWE. Lliuya, whose home in the Andean city of Huaraz is threatened by glacial melt linked to global warming, argues that RWE, one of Europe’s biggest emitters of greenhouse gases, should pay for part of the costs needed to protect his town from catastrophic flooding.