The United Nations’ International Seabed Authority (ISA) is meeting this week to consider new rules allowing firms to extract minerals from the ocean floor, despite mounting concerns about the economic and environmental risks.
Supporters argue that deep sea mining will help boost supplies of raw materials like cobalt and nickel, which are needed for the global energy transition. However, critics say it could destroy ecosystems and disrupt migratory routes.
As many as 27 countries are calling for at least a temporary halt of deep sea mining activities, and Hawaii recently became the fourth Pacific U.S. state to issue a comprehensive ban.
At the meeting in Kingston, Jamaica, the 36-member ISA council will negotiate the latest draft of a long-awaited “mining code”, designed to regulate the exploration and extraction of “polymetallic nodules” and other deposits on the ocean floor.
“I think it will become very clear at this session that there is still a long way to go,” said Pradeep Singh, an ocean governance specialist at Germany’s Potsdam Institute, noting that countries are still divided over the final text.
Many are concerned the code is being rushed through without proper scrutiny and want to slow the process down. While environmental risks are a major concern, there are also questions about how proceeds from deep sea mining will be shared.
The rush to complete the mining code was triggered by the Pacific island state of Nauru, which is expected to submit a mining license application on behalf of Canada’s The Metals Company (TMC) later this year, regardless of whether or not regulations are complete.
“A growing number of states are saying no, we will not allow that to happen,” said Singh. “Those states calling for a pause remain committed to negotiating the regulations, so it is not as if they are saying they don’t want deep sea mining to happen.”
After the council session, the ISA’s 168-member Assembly will also meet on July 29 to elect a secretary-general, with Brazil’s Leticia Carvalho standing against the incumbent, Michael Lodge.