- Participants at the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) World Conservation Congress voted overwhelmingly in favor of a moratorium on deep-sea mining, an activity that environmentalists say could cause irreparable damage to the oceans.
- Nauru, a South Pacific nation, recently invoked a "two-year notice" rule, which requires the International Seabed Authority (ISA) to grant it a license to begin mining operations regardless of any regulations developed within that two-year notice period.
- Environmentalists lament the current paucity or even absence of information on the negative effects on the deep-sea marine environment.
- Participants at the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) World Conservation Congress voted overwhelmingly in favor of a moratorium on deep-sea mining, an activity that environmentalists say could cause irreparable damage to the oceans.
- Nauru, a South Pacific nation, recently invoked a "two-year notice" rule, which requires the International Seabed Authority (ISA) to grant it a license to begin mining operations regardless of any regulations developed within that two-year notice period.
- Environmentalists lament the current paucity or even absence of information on the negative effects on the deep-sea marine environment.
MARSEILLE, France — Delegates at this year's World Summit on Environmental Protection voted overwhelmingly in favor of a motion calling for a moratorium on deep-sea mining and reform of the International Seabed Authority (ISA), the body established by a UN convention and charged with regulating such mining.
Eighty-one governments and government agencies participating in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) World Conservation Congress voted in favor of the moratorium, presented in motion 69 , while 18 voted against and 28 abstained. 577 NGOs and civil society organizations also voted in favor, while only 32 voted against and 35 abstained.
Farah Obaidullah of the Deep Sea Conservation Coalition (DSCC) called the motion’s approval “excellent news.”
“We are very pleased that there has been such strong support for Motion 69,” he told Mongabay in an interview. “It sends a strong and clear message to the International Seabed Authority that there is no ‘social license’ or global interest in deep-sea mining.”
Deep-sea mining would impact three types of deep-sea habitats: abyssal plains, seamounts, and hydrothermal vents. Proponents of such mining argue that deep-sea mining would have fewer negative impacts on biodiversity than land-based mining and that seabed mineral extraction is necessary to support the development of renewable energy technologies, such as electric cars . A large association of environmentalists and scientists, however, argues that deep-sea mining would cause irreversible damage to deep-sea habitats and other parts of the ocean. They also argue that renewable energy technologies could rely on land-based mining and metal recycling to obtain the necessary minerals.
Although deep-sea mining has not yet begun, the ISA has already granted 16 licenses for mineral exploration in the Clarion Clipperton Fracture Zone, a region of the eastern Pacific Ocean considered one of the most biodiverse areas of the ocean.
In June, the South Pacific nation of Nauru invoked a two-year notice requirement , after which the ISA would be required to allow Nauru to begin mining operations using any regulations in effect by that time as the legal framework. Nauru finances a subsidiary of a Canadian company formerly known as DeepGreen, which recently officially merged with Sustainable Opportunities Acquisition Corporation to form The Metals Company, valued at $2.9 billion.
Matthew Gianni of the DSCC said that if deep-sea mining were to begin in two years, there could be a “gold rush” as other countries and companies also seek licenses.
“The main problem is that if the International Seabed Conservation Authority were to authorize mining, it would then be almost impossible to stop,” he told Mongabay in an interview at the IUCN Congress in Marseille. “Furthermore, if DeepGreen or other companies started mining, made money, and started paying the ISA for mining rights… and the government that finances it… other governments and companies would also be encouraged to participate in this activity.”
More than 450 marine science and policy experts from 44 countries previously signed a statement calling for a moratorium on deep-sea mining, stating that such mining could cause substantial and irreparable damage to ecosystems in these environments and that insufficient scientific research has been done to fully understand the negative impacts of deep-sea mining .
The Republic of Fiji, an island nation in the South Pacific, is one of the countries that voted in favor of Motion 69 calling for a moratorium on deep-sea mining. Joshua Wycliffe, of Fiji's Ministry of Waterways and Environment, said the motion would send a "strong signal" from the IUCN, but that it must be followed up with concrete action.
“If it's not followed up with concrete action, it's just a dead letter,” Wycliffe told Mongabay in an interview at the IUCN Congress. “We need to demonstrate that it's backed up by action. We need to do something concrete.”
According to Obaidullah, this motion is one of many messages sent to the ISA demonstrating that the world is not in favor of launching deep-sea mining. "[It's a] loud and clear message," he said, "we must not rush to launch new reckless activities like deep-sea mining."
Post a Comment