Will deep-sea mining get the green light? Scientists sound alarm
Scientists worldwide are opposing undersea mining as the UN International Seabed Authority debates whether to allow it. Companies can now apply for mining licenses as demand for precious metals used in electric car batteries increases.
Scientists around the world are speaking against undersea mining as the United Nations agency is contemplating whether to allow companies and countries to do it or not.
The UN International Seabed Authority, which is based in Jamaica has been locked in a fierce debate over whether to allow deep sea mining and set a new deadline for proposed regulations still stuck in draft mode.
“It's quite a marathon,” Michael Lodge, the agency's secretary general, said in a press, and added, "There are still loose ends to tie up.”
The agency has yet to issue any provisional mining licenses, and it missed a July 9 deadline to approve a set of rules to govern such activity.
Companies and countries can now apply for a mining license as demand surges for precious metals that are found in the deep sea and are used in electric car batteries and other green technology.
The UN agency has issued more than 30 exploration licenses but none for actual mining so far. Most of the exploration is focused on an area between Hawaii and Mexico that spans some 1.7 million square miles (4.5 million square kilometers), with the activity taking place at depths of up to 19,000 feet (6,000 metres).
Members of the International Seabed Authority said they expect to resume work on the proposed regulatory framework at the body's third meeting in November this year.
Asked what would happen if a country or company applied for a deep sea mining license without regulations, the agency's secretary general said the council would deal with things as they came up.
“The council can meet whenever it wishes,” he said.
Council President Juan José González Mijares said at the briefing that a regulatory framework has to be in place before any exploitation activity begins.
A growing number of countries are calling for a moratorium or a precautionary pause on deep sea mining, saying they are concerned about the potential environmental impact. They want more scientific studies done first.
Scientists have warned that such activity could kick up silt storms and create noise and light pollution in a watery underworld that has barely been explored.
Companies pushing for deep sea mining, however, argue that undersea mining would be cheaper and have less of an environmental impact than land mining.
(With PTI inputs)
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First Published:22 Jul 2023, 06:35 AM IST
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