Momentum Has Never Been Stronger For Protecting The Oceans Against Deep Sea Mining

Kingston, Jamaica, 1 August 2024 - More than 30 nations, including New Zealand, are now calling for a halt to the start of deep sea mining, with five new announcements in support of a precautionary pause or a moratorium coming in the past few days at the International Seabed Authority negotiations in Kingston, Jamaica. Tuvalu, who had previously sponsored deep sea mining exploration, joined Austria, Honduras, Guatemala and Malta in announcing new strengthened positions, bringing the total now to 32 nations from the Pacific, Europe, the Caribbean and Latin America. New Zealand was among the first to call for a moratorium in 2022.

More governments have attended these global negotiations than ever before, including the President of Palau and multiple ministers in a sign of the increasing political prominence and public interest in stopping deep sea mining. With The Metals Company threatening to submit an application to start commercial mining soon in the heart of the Pacific Ocean, President Surangel Whipps Jr. of Palau addressed the ISA accompanied by two of his children, closing his speech with the words, "Let us not leave Jamaica having granted the mining industry a licence to colonise the common heritage of humankind and destroy our greatest ally in our fight against climate change - our ocean."

The growing wave of support for protecting the deep ocean from the nascent industry translated into a formal discussion of a general policy to protect the marine environment for the first time. This could provide the pathway to realise a formal pause or moratorium on deep sea mining. A year ago, a group of pro-mining countries [1] successfully blocked this discussion, but a renewed proposal backed by even more countries this year prompted lively debate on Wednesday, with countries agreeing to keep discussions ongoing with the aim of deciding next steps when the meeting concludes on Friday. Fresh support for developing a general policy came from many States, including Madagascar, Vietnam, Morocco and Belgium.

Monise Laafai, a member of parliament for Tuvalu, in announcing support for a precautionary pause this week , said, "The protection of a sacred ocean is not a technical mandate but rather a moral responsibility for us. Similar worldviews are shared by other Indigenous Peoples; the ocean is not just a resource but a foundation of life, culture, and sustenance that underpins and connects our relationship together. The potential environmental degradation caused by deep sea mining could severely impact our food security, disrupt our traditional practices, and undermine our cultural heritage."

Last week, the publication of a groundbreaking study revealing that the polymetallic nodules that mining companies want to extract from the deep ocean seabed may be producing ‘ dark oxygen’ in the deep ocean provided another strong example of how little we know about the deep ocean. Several nations have made reference to this study at the ISA to underline the need for precaution, including Panama, Costa Rica and Belgium, while the company that part-funded the study, The Metals Company disputed its findings in a side event.

"Never before has the international community been so aware of the destruction the deep sea mining industry could cause to the deep ocean. The deep sea needs protection from mining machines, and the good news is that more and more countries agree that a moratorium must be put in place. Momentum has never been stronger for protecting the oceans against deep sea mining," said Greenpeace International campaigner Louisa Casson, who is attending the meeting.

The meeting is due to conclude on 2 August when delegates will vote for the next Secretary General [2].

Notes

[1] China, México and Nauru (who sponsors The Metals Company) opposed the inclusion of a general policy in the additional agenda items in July 2023. This week, México spoke in favour of developing a general policy.

[2] PRACTICE IN THE ELECTIONS OF SECRETARY-GENERAL OF THE INTERNATIONAL SEABED AUTHORITY

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