The International Seabed Authority (ISA) is concluding negotiations in Jamaica focused on the controversial issue of deep-sea mining for essential minerals and metals. This process typically entails scraping the ocean floor for polymetallic nodules—rocks about the size of potatoes, containing valuable minerals like nickel, cobalt, copper, and manganese, crucial for making batteries and smartphones.
However, scientists and environmentalists have expressed significant concerns regarding the potential of deep-sea mining to disrupt the fragile and poorly understood marine ecosystems. They warn that commercial mining could lead to irreversible harm to biodiversity, complicating the balance of these ecologically sensitive areas.
Last week, a Global Day of Action Against Deep Sea Mining featured protests around the world, including paddle-outs in Australia. The primary focus of these concerns centres on the Clarion Clipperton Zone (CCZ), a region in the deep Pacific Ocean between Hawaii and Mexico, where deep-sea mining is being actively pursued. In May, an executive order was signed by former US President Trump to expedite mining activities in US and international waters, with a Canadian company seeking permits to commence mining in the CCZ.
Established by the United Nations in 1994, the ISA is under pressure to create regulations for mineral extraction but has yet to announce any outcomes from the recent meetings in Kingston. So far, the authority has only permitted exploration and test mining. Notably, a coalition of 37 countries has called for a moratorium on commercial deep-sea mining until the environmental implications are more fully understood; however, Australia has not yet joined this initiative.
At a state level, New South Wales implemented a ban on seabed mining off its coast last year, while the Northern Territory has maintained a moratorium on such activities since 2012. Phil McCabe of the Deep Sea Conservation Coalition, who was present at the ISA meetings, noted Australia’s indecision on the matter, emphasising international legal obligations to protect the marine environment from mining operations.
“Mining is so inherently destructive that it simply should not and cannot go ahead,” he stated, urging Australia to align with its allies in supporting a moratorium.
Drew McPherson from Surfrider Foundation Australia, who coordinated the protests, stressed the importance of the deep sea to ocean health and warned of inevitable biodiversity loss linked to such mining practices.
Activist and surfer Dave Rastovich echoed these concerns, pointing out the close connection surfers have to the coastlines affected by potential mining. He highlighted that contamination from these activities directly impacts coastal communities, urging collective action to protect the ocean’s integrity.
In tandem with these discussions, Australia’s scientific peak body, CSIRO, has released reports aimed at helping decision-makers evaluate how to safeguard deep-sea ecosystems if mining proceeds.