More than a dozen nations have called for a moratorium on deep-sea mining as governments at the International Seabed Authority (ISA) gathered in Jamaica on Monday to discuss the fate of the oceans.
The ISA launched a two-week conference to debate whether to open the Earth’s watery depths to countries and companies that, as of Monday, were allowed to start applying for provisional mining licenses.
The authority has issued more than 30 exploration licenses but no provisional licenses so far.
Deep-sea mining uses heavy machinery to suck up off the ocean floor potato-sized rocks or nodules that contain cobalt, manganese, and other rare metals mostly used in batteries.
However, more than 750 scientists and the European Academies Science Advisory Council have warned about the “unavoidable and irreversible impacts” of deep-sea mining, according to the Deep Sea Conservation Coalition (DSCC).
“Deep-sea mining is not the route to decarbonization that its proponents tout it to be, nor will it replace land-based mining or somehow be ‘better’ than land-based mining,” DSCC’s policy adviser Matthew Gianni stated.
“If the ISA begins permitting deep-sea mining, it will be based on a false notion that the world ‘needs’ deep-sea metals, be detrimental to the planet and humankind as a whole, and only serve to line the pockets of a few corporations in the global North,” he added.
Countries Opposing Seabed Mining
Scientists were concerned that such activities would disrupt critical ecosystems, and several countries are siding with them including Canada, France, and New Zealand.Canada’s government said it would back a moratorium on commercial seabed mining owing to the absence of a robust regulatory regime and a lack of understanding of the environmental impacts of seabed mining.
The government stated that “seabed mining should take place only if effective protection of the marine environment is provided through a rigorous regulatory structure, applying precautionary and ecosystem-based approaches, using science-based and transparent management, and ensuring effective compliance with a robust inspection mechanism.”
“The protection, conservation, restoration and sustainable use of ocean ecosystems is essential to all life on earth,” it stated.
France in January banned deep-sea mining in its waters, while Germany has called for a pause in the development of the industry.
Environmental group Greenpeace said the governments of Chile, Costa Rica, France, Palau, and Vanuatu have formally asked the ISA to discuss the need for a long-term suspension of deep-sea mining.
“The ISA’s mandate is to protect the oceans, but the close connection between its authorities and the industry has left the credibility of this institution hanging by a thread,” Greenpeace France Oceans campaigner François Chartier stated.
Last year in June, Chile called for a 15-year moratorium on adopting regulations for deep-sea mining, urging state parties to extend the deadline for adopting regulations and obtaining “more evidence and scientific certainty to ensure the protection of the marine environment.”
But not all nations are against it. China is a major proponent, and even smaller nations like the Pacific island of Nauru, for instance, asked the ISA in 2021 to fast-track the adoption of seabed mining regulations.
Norway had proposed opening its waters to deep-sea mining despite opposition from green campaigners, as it seeks to shift from a reliance on hydrocarbons to new sources of economic activity.
