Deep-sea mining a major topic at seabed authority
Published: Tuesday, Jul 30th 2024, 06:10
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A General Assembly of the International Seabed Authority (ISA) has begun, marked by the prospect of a first deep-sea mining proposal. At the start of the five-day meeting at the ISA headquarters in the Jamaican capital Kingston on Monday, Malta became the 28th country to call for a moratorium, a precautionary pause or a ban on deep-sea mining. This group, which also includes Germany, wants to bring a basic regulation for the protection of the marine environment up for discussion at the General Assembly. The ISA Secretary General will be elected towards the end of the week.
The policy should stipulate that the ISA will not authorize deep-sea mining until the environmental impacts have been more thoroughly researched. At the previous annual General Assembly, China and other member states in favor of deep-sea mining prevented the agenda item. They delayed the adoption of the agenda until the last moment.
Group forges ahead with deep-sea mining plans
Despite the concerns of numerous experts, the Canadian group The Metals Company has announced that it will submit its first application for a deep-sea mining project this year. Next year, it wants to start commercial mining of raw materials at the bottom of the deep sea in the Pacific.
Deep-sea mining is primarily concerned with the extraction of so-called manganese nodules on the floor of the high seas. These are formed over millions of years and contain raw materials such as manganese, cobalt, copper and nickel, which could be used to produce batteries for electric cars, for example. Studies show dangers for the still little researched ecosystems of the deep sea. In addition, some experts question the necessity of deep-sea mining for the energy transition.
The 36 member states of the ISA Council met in Kingston over the past two weeks. Once again, they failed to agree on a set of rules for deep-sea mining. It is therefore unclear how a proposal from the Metals Company would be dealt with. The Secretary General could play an important role.
Controversial ISA boss up for re-election
The incumbent Michael Lodge, who is seeking a third term in office, is running against the Brazilian oceanographer Leticia Carvalho. The Briton is accused by environmental activists and some member states of being close to industry and promoting deep-sea mining contrary to his duty of neutrality.
The General Assembly is attended by all ISA members: the 168 contracting states to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos) and the European Union. Unclos, which came into force in 1994, created the ISA to manage the seabed of the high seas - a common heritage of mankind.
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