Opponents of deep sea mining suffered a serious setback Friday when they failed to take a first step toward an international moratorium on the controversial practice.
Opponents of deep sea mining suffered a serious setback Friday when they failed to take a first step toward an international moratorium on the controversial practice.
Until now, those in favor of such mining—which would deliver minerals key to the green transition but with a potentially high environmental cost—have managed to prevent the International Seabed Authority (ISA) from even taking up any debate on the subject.
This time, the debate took place, but a draft calling for a “dialogue” toward “the development of a general policy. for the protection and preservation of the marine environment” did not advance after a week of talks in Kingston, Jamaica.
Numerous delegations, from China to Saudi Arabia to the Africa group of member states, said the draft lacked clarity and that the ISA’s full assembly of 168 members was not the forum to make any decision on the protection of marine habitats.
Instead, those countries said the Council, made up of 36 states, should decide.
Faced with consistent opposition, Chile withdrew the draft measure as the assembly’s annual session—which makes decisions by consensus—drew to a close.
“We are somewhat disappointed”, said Chilean representative Salvador Vega Telias. Though he believed he had support from a majority of states, he opted to shelve the discussions until July 2025—a proposal that was not approved either.
Deep sea mining in international waters involves scraping the ocean floor for minerals like nickel, cobalt and copper, crucial for renewable energy technology.
