DEEP SEA CONSERVATION COALITION DEEP-SEA MINING

Deep Sea Conservation Coalition deep-sea mining. As deep-sea mining negotiations began last week at the International Seabed Authority (ISA) in Jamaica, the race to defend the deep accelerated. The first week of the ISA’s Council meeting closed on Friday, with even more countries adding their voices to calls for a halt to the emerging industry. This week sees the ISA’s Council meeting get into its second week before the Assembly meeting starts on 24 July and closes on 28 July.

On Friday 14th July, Brazil, Finland and Portugal were the latest to announce their positions in favour of a precautionary pause on deep-sea mining as discussions turned to the controversial ‘two-year loophole’. The obscure legal provision was triggered by Nauru on behalf of the would-be mining company it sponsors. The rule calls on the ISA to finalise and adopt regulations for deep-sea mining within 24 months.

Brazil urged the Authority to hit the brakes on the industry, calling for a precautionary pause on deep-sea mining in international waters for a minimum period of ten years. The delegation cited the need for scientific knowledge of the deep sea and the environmental impacts of deep-sea mining as one reason for their position.

Finland reaffirmed their position, stating that they “joined others that have called for a precautionary pause on deep-sea mining.” The delegation stated that “The plea of the scientific community not to go ahead with exploitation activities at this stage has been clear and in our view, well reasoned.”

Portugal joined others in advocating for a pause. The delegation also highlighted an insufficient scientific knowledge base in order to proceed with commercial-scale deep-sea mining.

Costa Rica, on behalf of countries including Brazil, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Monaco, Panama, Portugal, New Zealand, Switzerland, and Vanuatu called for no exploitation to be carried out without rules, regulations and procedures in place. The delegation stated that “Activities in the area shall be carried out for the benefit of humankind,” implying that in the current climate of risk and uncertainty, we cannot be confident that deep-sea mining would in fact benefit humankind.

Credit: DSCC. Twenty-one governments have now called for a moratorium, halt or ban on deep-sea mining.

Twenty-one governments have now called for a ban, moratorium or precautionary pause on deep-sea mining. Delegations that reiterated their calls on Friday included Canada, Costa Rica, Chile, New Zealand, Spain, Switzerland. The US delegation also highlighted that no ISA member State had concluded that the draft rules and regulations developed would currently ensure the effective protection of the marine environment.

Governments that sponsor deep-sea mining companies, including Norway, Russia, the UK, the Cook Islands, India and Japan continued to press for the advancement of the industry.

Norway stated that they failed to understand why an application for deep-sea mining could not be considered until regulations were adopted.

Russia said that the ISA’s Legal and Technical Commission must consider mining applications, with or without regulations in place.

The UK delegation called for less hypothetical discussions and more action to complete regulations so that deep-sea mining could begin, stating that “You don’t get a strong regulatory framework by stopping or delaying the negotiation or by diverting ourselves from the objectives which we as an Authority, have set ourselves.”

 Elsewhere at the ISA, in a side event organised by Pew and the Deep Ocean Stewardship Initiative on Thursday July 13th, Dr. Muriel Rabone of the Natural History Museum presented her recent research indicating that 90% of the species living on or near the seabed in the Clarion Clipperton Zone have yet to be named, and thousands remain undiscovered.

The Deep Sea Conservation Coalition are present throughout negotiations and are advocating for a moratorium on the destructive deep-sea mining industry.