Felicity Bradstock
Felicity Bradstock is a freelance writer specialising in Energy and Finance. She has a Master’s in International Development from the University of Birmingham, UK.
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By Felicity Bradstock – Jul 10, 2024, 4:00 PM CDT
- Deep-sea mining is gaining momentum as countries seek critical minerals for the green transition, but scientists are raising alarms about potential environmental consequences.
- The International Seabed Authority (ISA), responsible for regulating deep-sea mining, is racing to finalize rules by 2025 but faces internal conflicts and accusations of misconduct.
- Several countries and major companies are calling for a pause on deep-sea mining until the environmental impacts are better understood and regulations are in place.
Over the last year, it has become clear that deep-sea mining for metals and minerals is likely to be approved in some regions of the world, as companies fight for the right to invest in innovative mining projects. There are huge critical mineral reserves worldwide under the seabed, which have made companies increasingly eager to commence deep-sea mining activities to extract the minerals as demand continues to rise. The push for a global green transition has sent the global demand for minerals, such as nickel, copper, and cobalt sky-high. Onshore mining activities have intensified in recent years to address this demand and several companies are looking to the sea to respond to this demand. However, scientists are concerned about what impact deep-sea mining could have on the environment, such as the potential disruption of marine ecosystems.
Earlier this year, Norway approved the world’s first deep-sea mineral mining, with the government suggesting that it may be less harmful to the environment than land-based mining. There is an abundance of potato-sized nodules of critical minerals that Norway says are vital for a green transition. However, Norway did not plan to immediately commence mining operations, rather, the government aimed to assess proposals from mining companies on a case-by-case basis for license approval. However, without an international regulatory framework in place to manage deep-sea mining, there were concerns over the potential environmental impact of operations.
The International Seabed Authority (ISA), the U.N. regulator that oversees deep-sea mining, sees the launch of deep-sea mining activities in the coming years as an inevitability and has been working to develop sectoral regulations. The ISA regulates mining across an area covering 54 percent of the world’s oceans, representing 68 member states as well as the EU, but not the U.S. The ISA aims to produce deep-sea mining regulations by 2025. However, 24 countries have called for a pause on deep-sea mining, supported by several major companies, such as Google, Samsung, and Volvo, due to the lack of comprehension of the impact of such activities.
The ISA’s secretary general, Michael Lodge, is fighting to get environmental rules finalized that would make deep-sea mining possible in the Pacific Ocean,