Setback for opponents of seabed mining

Faced with fierce resistance from supporters of underwater mining, opponents of this controversial activity suffered a setback on Friday at the International Seabed Authority (ISA), failing to take a first step towards a possible moratorium.

Until now, countries supporting industrial exploitation of the ocean floor had always managed to prevent even a formal discussion on this subject at the IAEA assembly, where its 168 member states are represented.

This time, the debate did take place. But the draft decision launching a “dialogue” towards the “development of a general policy (…) on the protection and preservation of the marine environment” did not come to fruition despite a week of negotiations in Kingston.

Many delegations, from China to Saudi Arabia to the Africa group, denounced the lack of clarity in the text, and considered that the assembly was not the place for this type of decision, which would be the responsibility of the Council – which has only 36 states.

Faced with this opposition, Chile finally withdrew its proposal, although weakened, at the very end of the annual meeting of the assembly, which traditionally decides by consensus.

“We want to express our disappointment,” said Chilean representative Salvador Vega Telias. Despite believing he had the support of a majority of states, he wanted to postpone the issue until July 2025, which was also not approved by the assembly.

Under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, the Jamaica-based ISA is responsible for both protecting the ocean floor in areas beyond national jurisdiction and organizing activities there related to coveted minerals.

Its council, which for the moment only awards exploration contracts, has been negotiating a mining code for more than ten years to set the rules for possible exploitation of nickel, cobalt or copper, which according to some industrialists are crucial for the energy transition, in particular the batteries of electric vehicles.

But for the past year, despite the absence of rules, any state can submit an application for an operating contract on behalf of a company it sponsors.

Nauru, a small Pacific island state that triggered a legal clause leading to this situation in 2021, also assured a few days ago that the file of Nori (Nauru Ocean Resources Inc.), a subsidiary of the Canadian company The Metals Company, which wants to exploit polymetallic nodules in the Pacific, was “in the process of being finalized”.

– New boss, “new chapter” –

“Responsible development of deep-sea minerals” is “a necessity for our survival in a rapidly changing world,” Nauru President David Adeang insisted this week, calling on the Council to complete the mining code by 2025, as set out in the roadmap.

Highlighting the lack of scientific knowledge and the risks to the seabed, ocean defenders are instead calling for a moratorium on industrial extraction.

They came to the meeting bolstered by a scientific study published in July that concluded that polymetallic nodules, which are not living organisms, produce oxygen.

But they are still far from being in the majority, even though there are now more than 30 countries (France, Canada, Chile, Brazil, United Kingdom, Palau, etc.) supporting a real moratorium.

“The demands from civil society and politicians to stop underwater mining from harming the oceans have never been stronger,” Louisa Casson of Greenpeace told AFP on Friday.

But faced with the “threat” of a demand for an exploitation contract from Nori, “it is clear that governments must act with greater urgency at the AIFM to turn words into actions,” added the disappointed activist.

In this context, however, NGOs welcomed the election on Friday of Brazilian oceanographer Leticia Carvalho as secretary general of the AIFM.

She will replace the controversial Michael Lodge, who was seeking a third four-year term, from January 2025. The Briton is regularly accused by NGOs of a “pro-extraction” stance, accusations that he considers to be unfounded.

“This is a new chapter,” said the NGO group Deep Sea Conservation Coalition, calling for “reform” of the Authority, “for the good of humanity.”

© 2024 AFP

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