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. It does not represent a permanent ban. Rather, it reflects the application of the precautionary approach under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, recognizing that decisions affecting the deep ocean – the common heritage of humankind – should not proceed in the face of significant scientific uncertainty and irreversible risk.
A moratorium or precautionary pause on deep-sea mining is needed because the scientific knowledge, and regulatory frameworks required to protect the deep ocean do not exist. The deep sea is one of the least understood ecosystems on Earth, yet mining would cause large-scale, potentially irreversible harm before impacts can be fully assessed or managed. At the same time, key elements of the Mining Code at the International Seabed Authority remain unresolved, including environmental thresholds, monitoring standards, liability, and benefit-sharing, while the International Seabed Authority lacks the capacity to independently monitor or enforce compliance at mining sites kilometers below the surface. A precautionary pause provides the necessary time to close scientific gaps, develop robust and enforceable rules, prevent unilateral action, and ensure that decisions about the global commons are made collectively, fairly, and in line with international law.
A moratorium is also justified on economic, cultural, and human rights grounds. Independent analyses have raised serious doubts about the economic benefits and viability of deep-sea mining, given high operational costs, uncertain metal prices, and rapid advances in recycling, efficiency, and alternative technologies. In practice, the limited financial benefits of deep-sea mining are likely to accrue primarily to a small number of private mining companies and their investors, while the broader economic risks and environmental costs could be borne by the international community. This raises serious questions about whether deep-sea mining can deliver meaningful or equitable economic returns.
At the same time, the economic value of intact deep-ocean ecosystems, including their role in carbon sequestration, fisheries productivity, and scientific discovery, remains poorly understood but may far exceed the speculative benefits of mineral extraction. Proceeding prematurely risks undermining these long-term public benefits in exchange for short-term gains that may prove economically unstable or limited in scope
Furthermore, deep-sea mining may also threaten underwater cultural heritage and seascapes that hold cultural and spiritual significance for Indigenous Peoples and coastal communities, particularly in the Pacific. In addition, human rights experts have warned that deep-sea mining could undermine the rights to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment, to culture, and to meaningful participation in decisions affecting the global commons.
Momentum against deep-sea mining is becoming more forceful every day. So far, 40 countries have publicly announced their support for a moratorium, a precautionary pause, or a ban on deep-sea mining, citing environmental risk, scientific uncertainty, governance gaps at the International Seabed Authority, lack of necessity, and concerns about equity and benefit sharing. These calls come alongside support from parliamentarians around the world, Indigenous and civil society groups, over 970 science and policy experts from more than 70 countries, major financial institutions and businesses and UN Human Rights experts. Together, these voices reflect a widening consensus that caution is both legally justified and politically responsible. Several businesses and financial institutions have also distanced themselves from deep-sea mining in the form of not using or sourcing minerals from the deep sea in their supply chains.
With our ocean, climate and biodiversity in crisis, the answer is clear: it’s time to press pause on deep-sea mining and prioritize science, innovation, human rights and capacity-building, and safeguard the wonders and benefits of the deep ocean for current and future generations.