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REACTION: The DSCC challenges governments to protect the ocean from top to bottom in the wake of the new COP15 Biodiversity Framework.
The United Nations General Assembly Review of Deep-sea Fisheries on the high seas took place over several weeks in November 2022.
Since minerals found in the deep sea can be used in technologies such as wind turbines, solar panels, batteries and electric vehicles, deep-sea mining is often framed as essential for the green transition. However, current evidence shows this claim to be false.
A deep-sea mining moratorium or precautionary pause refers to a temporary suspension of deep-sea mining activities until sufficient scientific knowledge, robust regulations, and effective oversight mechanisms are in place to ensure environmental protection and compliance with international law.
The International Seabed Authority (ISA) was established in 1994 and comprises 170 Member States plus the European Union. The ISA has a conflicting dual mandate, as it is both tasked with regulating any mining activities in the ocean seabed beyond national jurisdiction and at the same time responsible for ensuring the protection of the marine environment from the harmful effects of deep-sea mining.
The deep sea is home to a dazzling array of life, including species found nowhere else on the planet. Many deep-sea organisms are slow growing, late to reproduce and have limited capacity to recover from disturbance, making them particularly vulnerable to industrial activity. These fragile deep-sea ecosystems are already under stress from global warming, bottom fisheries, pollution and plastic, with deep-sea mining poised to compound existing threats.
Deep-sea mining is the process of removing mineral deposits from the deep ocean floor. The minerals targeted contain metals such as nickel, cobalt, copper and manganese. While experimental and exploratory work is already underway, deep-sea mining has never taken place at a commercial scale.