Future of deep-sea mining stands at a crucial juncture

UNITED NATIONS

The future of deep-sea mining hangs in the balance as global stakeholders face mounting pressure to decide its fate.

Environmentalists are calling for a moratorium to protect the ocean’s fragile ecosystems, while corporations eye valuable resources like cobalt, nickel, and copper buried deep under the sea.

“It feels like a real crunch point,” said Louisa Casson of Greenpeace International to AFP.

Conservationists warn of the risks to barely-understood marine ecosystems, while industrialists push to begin mining operations by 2025.

Mining seabed resources was once considered a distant possibility, but the timeline has accelerated.

Since July 2023, any country can sponsor a company to apply for deep-sea mining permits, as per a clause invoked by Nauru. The island nation's Nauru Ocean Resources Inc. (NORI), a subsidiary of Canada’s The Metals Company (TMC), plans to begin mining polymetallic nodules by 2026.

International Seabed Authority (ISA), established in 1994 under the U.N., has yet to finalize its "mining code," a set of rules to regulate seabed mining in international waters. The ISA Council, its governing body, aims to approve this code by 2025 but faces unresolved debates about environmental safeguards and equitable profit-sharing from seabed resources.

Divisions among ISA member states and stakeholders complicate the progress. While about 30 countries support a moratorium on mining, they lack the majority needed to sway the ISA's 169-member council. Many member states are taking a middle-ground approach, advocating for stringent rules while preparing for potential mining activities.

Environmentalists, however, urge caution. Researchers warn that mining could destroy habitats and species crucial to ocean ecosystems—many of which remain undiscovered. Tensions deepened after findings suggested polymetallic nodules on the seabed release oxygen, indicating a previously unknown ecological role.

Negotiators are also far from consensus on risk mitigation, said Clement Chazot of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Some fear premature decisions could pave the way for insufficiently considered mining rules.

The debate over seabed mining underscores broader questions about balancing commercial interests with environmental conservation. For now, governments can pursue mining in their territorial waters—such as Norway.

For the ISA, 2025 will be pivotal. Whether nations choose to proceed with mining or adopt stricter conservation policies, the decisions made could shape the future of the ocean floor for decades to come.