Opponents of deepwater mining hope to take a potentially major step toward an international moratorium on Friday as the industry’s top international authority considers what could become an avalanche of key regulatory text.
For years, countries opposed to such mining — which would provide minerals key to the green transition but at a potentially high environmental cost — have failed to get the International Seabed Authority (ISA) to start any discussion for that matter, it is blocked by those who support deep-water mining.
However, member states convening from Monday at this week’s ISA meeting in Kingston, Jamaica, are to consider adopting a measure calling for “dialogue” to “develop a general policy … to protect and preservation of the marine environment. “
Opponents of deepwater mining hope this could eventually lead to a moratorium.
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“The momentum has never been stronger to protect the oceans from deep-sea mining,” said Louise Casson, campaigner at the international NGO Greenpeace.
Deep-sea mining in international waters involves scraping the ocean floor for minerals such as nickel, cobalt and copper, vital to renewable energy technology.
Under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), the ISA is responsible for both protecting the seabed in areas beyond national jurisdiction and overseeing any exploration or exploitation of resources in those zones.
NGOs and scientists warn that deep-sea mining could damage habitats and harm species that are poorly understood but potentially important to the food chain.
In addition, they point to the risk of disrupting the ocean’s ability to absorb carbon emitted by human activities and noise that could disturb species such as whales.
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Looming deadline
Mining has not yet taken place beyond the experimental and exploratory stage. The ISA has been developing commercial exploitation rules for a decade.
However, many countries have entered into exploratory contracts and proceeded with trials.
And Nauru, a small Pacific island nation, successfully lobbied the ISA to allow mining applications even without a mining code. The 36-member ISA board aims to adopt regulations in 2025.
The clock is ticking as Canada’s The Metals Company (TMC) — an industry giant — and Nauru Ocean Resources Inc (NORI), its subsidiary, move forward with plans to harvest mineral-rich “polymetallic nodules” in the Clarion Fracture -Clipperton. zone (CCZ) in the Pacific.
An application from the Government of Nauru on behalf of NORI to commence commercial mining operations is being prepared for submission to the ISA.
“Responsible deepwater mineral development is not just an opportunity for Nauru and other small island developing states,” Nauru President David Andeang said earlier this week. “It is a necessity for our survival in a rapidly changing world.”
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More than 30 countries have called for a moratorium on deepwater mining, including France, Canada, Chile, Brazil and the United Kingdom.
However, they are a long way from securing a majority in the 168-member ISA, and the text under consideration does not explicitly call for the suspension.
Adding to environmentalists’ concerns is a new study, published last month, showing that the mineral-rich nodules that mining companies want to harvest from the ocean floor produce oxygen.
The pioneering study was the first case of oxygen production from non-living sources and without sunlight.
Elsewhere, the ISA voted on Friday to replace Britain’s Michael Lodge as secretary-general with Brazil’s Leticia Carvalho.
Lodge had been criticized for his pro-business stances and also came under fire after a New York Times investigation accused ISA leadership of misappropriating funds — allegations the ISA Secretariat has denied.
“Rebuilding trust is the fundamental aspect,” Carvalho, who takes office in January, recently told the environmental news website Mongabay.
Source: AFP