2023-11-01 13:06:19
As if the earth itself wanted to vote once morest deep-sea mining. This is what it must have felt like in the large meeting room of the International Seabed Authority (ISA) in the Jamaican capital Kingston. Shortly following the third part of the twenty-eighth annual meeting on deep-sea mining began there on Monday morning (local time), the entire building shook, causing the meeting to be suspended.
The quake, measuring 5.4 on the Richter scale, came just following Secretary-General Michael Lodge’s opening remarks. He had pointed out on the ‘remarkable progress’ that participating countries had made in recent months in drawing up mining rules. A subject on which no agreement has been reached at the UN level for decades.
Mining companies are suddenly eager
Until recently, this discussion was mainly theoretical in nature, because it was still very expensive to extract raw materials from a few kilometers deep. The energy transition and scientific developments have changed this, now that mining companies are suddenly eager to dig up all the mineral resources. One company, The Metals Company, wants to start as early as 2025.
Opponents try to prevent this: aren’t we destroying a vulnerable ecosystem regarding which we still know too little with this mining? Only very recently have scientists started to map life at a depth of four kilometers and have already found more than five thousand animal species. Countries must also make agreements regarding the distribution of prosperity: how do they ensure that these mineral resources benefit all of humanity?
Assistant professor Catharine Blanchard from Utrecht University specializes in international maritime law. As legal advisor to Deep Ocean Stewardship Initiative, she was on her way to Kingston when the earthquake shut down the meeting. “Because many delegations were concerned regarding the safety of buildings, they returned to their home countries,” Blanchard says on the phone. She herself landed at Schiphol once more today. She speaks in a personal capacity.
Did countries really go back because of the earthquake?
“It has been suggested that countries have moved away to slow down the process, but I really think security concerns were the main reason. Many buildings in Kingston are old and their earthquake resistance does not appear to be well checked. After the earthquake, mixed messages came from the Seabed Authority. One employee said the buildings were safe, the other said an inspection had yet to take place. This has made delegations decide to leave once more. The Dutch delegation did this, but also the delegations from New Zealand, Portugal, Monaco and Switzerland. The US and Australia were thinking regarding it.”
It didn’t all happen that quickly anyway
“No, and there was also a lot of criticism regarding that. There are various working groups. One of these is chaired by Chile and Costa Rica, two countries that want to protect life in the deep sea. They use a very thorough method, in which they read the text of the UN treaty that is being negotiated word by word. That takes a very long time, mining proponents see it as a delaying tactic.
“It is true that at the previous session, in July, it was agreed that there should be clear rules for mining companies before the summer of 2025. Then deep-sea mining would be allowed. Opponents want to use that time to arrive at a moratorium, a ban.”
England spoke out once morest deep-sea mining
“Yes, the number of countries that are in favor of a ban is growing. But in most cases this is not a complete ban. This also applies to the British. They may want to allow mining in the future if scientific research shows how the impact on marine life can be limited, there are agreements regarding enforcement and the International Seabed Authority has drawn up clear rules.
“Other countries, such as Chile, want a temporary ban, for example fifteen years. The only country that now completely rejects deep-sea mining is France. The Netherlands is very active in the debate. The Netherlands believes that deep-sea mining should only take place if it is certain that the ecosystem can handle it and there are clear rules. Until then, the deep sea must be left alone.”
Also read:
No green light for deep-sea mining for the time being
Deep-sea mining is not allowed for the next two years. Consultations in Jamaica have failed to produce an agreement. The 168 member states of the International Seabed Authority will now make a decision in 2025 at the earliest.
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