Deep-Sea Mining: ISA Meeting is Urged to Put Environment and Climate First

Since last week, the ISA Council (15^th until 26^th of July) continued discussions on the controversial potential practice of deep-sea mining at the meeting of the International Seabed Authority (ISA) in Kingston, Jamaica. The ISA Council concludes today, and attention now shifts to the ISA Assembly, the supreme body of the ISA, which consists of all 168 States Parties (and the European Union) to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). The Assembly is set to meet from 29 July to 2 August.

OceanCare remains extremely concerned about the irreversible damage that deep-sea mining can cause, particularly through underwater noise pollution. Such noise disrupts the vital acoustic communication, behaviour, and orientation of marine life.

There is currently little scientific understanding of what the planet could lose if deep-sea mining is allowed to proceed. Governments do not have the scientific information necessary for responsible and informed decision-making regarding this speculative extractive activity. However, leading scientists already warn that biodiversity loss could be inevitable, widespread, and most likely irreversible.

Johannes-Alexander Müller, Ocean Policy Expert at OceanCare, commented:

“ISA Member States should not rush into decisions when it comes to the future of one of the world’s most fragile ecosystems. In addition to its potentially highly destructive environmental impacts, deep-sea mining could also disrupt one of the planet’s largest carbon sinks in the midst of a global climate emergency.

“During the upcoming ISA Assembly meeting, Member States should meaningfully support and engage in the discussion of a General Policy for the protection and preservation of the marine environment. This debate is long overdue, and it represents a unique opportunity to start working towards enacting a moratorium on deep-sea mining.

“And the Assembly should also elect a Secretary-General for the next four years who supports such a precautionary approach and prioritises the benefit of all humanity in the work of the ISA.”

International opposition to deep-sea mining is on the rise: Parliamentarians around the world, indigenous and civil society groups, major corporations, financial institutions, and over 750 scientific and policy experts from more than 44 countries have called for a precautionary approach. Currently, the governments of 27 States have announced their support for a moratorium, precautionary pause or ban.

The Convention on Migratory Species (CMS), which currently has 133 parties, has echoed these calls and earlier this year adopted a resolution urging parties not to engage in or support deep-sea mining until sufficient and robust scientific information is available to ensure that deep-sea mining activities do not have adverse impacts on marine migratory species, their prey and ecosystems. The International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) also recently reinforced the necessity for the application of the precautionary approach and ecosystem approach in its Advisory Opinion on Climate Change.

With its recently launched international petition Because Our Planet Is Blue, OceanCare is calling for a global moratorium on deep-sea mining until there is a comprehensive scientific understanding of deep-sea ecosystems that shows it is possible to protect the environment from its harmful effects and prevent damage to deep-sea flora and fauna. States should not approve deep-sea mining in their national waters and should encourage direct investment in the recycling of minerals that have been identified as key to the transition to a low-carbon economy. Rather than plundering the ocean, policies must be agreed to encourage a shift to new technologies that use less critical minerals, extend the life of products and materials, and reduce demand.

Publications

• OceanCare report (2021): Deep-Sea Mining – a noisy affair
• OceanCare press release (17/02/2024): UN body issues warning on ecological risks of deep-sea mining
• Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals, Resolution 14.6 (17/02/2024): Deep-seabed mineral exploitation activities and migratory species
• OceanCare press release (21/05/2024): International Court: States have legal duty to restore and protect marine habitats
• International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (21/05/2024): Advisory Opinion on Climate Change
• OceanCare Petition “Because Our Planet Is Blue”: ourplanetisblue.org

Countries opposing deep-sea mining