🌱 When will licenses be given out?
While seabed explorations are ongoing, deep-sea mining has not yet commenced. Companies have, however, been allowed to file permits and the International Seabed Authority (ISA) has been reviewing applications for the past year. After the new rules on deep-sea mining are approved, the council could start approving exploitation licenses.
🌱 What does the licensing process entail?
Current “regulations allow countries to apply to the [ISA] for 15-year exclusive rights to explore a specific area for deep-sea mining”. Companies wishing to attain a license must submit a proposal via a participating country. The proposal must be accompanied by a draft management plan, outlining if activities such as shipping and fishing could be impacted, and work plans describing the contractors’ “financial and technical capabilities”. The “[c]ontractors are expected to follow best environmental practices” and to collaborate with the ISA to assure sound “monitoring and evaluating [of] the biodiversity impacts”.
🌱 Why is Nauru pushing for deep-sea mining?
Nauru is the sponsoring country of Nauru Ocean Resources Inc., which is a subsidiary of the Canadian “The Metals Company”. The company intends to mine polymetallic nodules in parts of the Clarion-Clipperton Zone, which is located between Hawaii and Mexico. The Metals Company notably “collected 4,500 tonnes of polymetallic nodules in a trial last year and plans to collect 1.3mn a year once it has a commercial licence”.
🌱 Which countries and companies are considering deep-sea mining?
Deep-sea mining is backed by only a third of the ISA member states. China currently “sponsors more exploration licences than any other state”. Yet, China’s supply dominance in critical minerals “could be threatened if deep-sea mining proceeds” soon. China is therefore currently “not back[ing] an immediate go-ahead”, but it has “argued [that] environmental concerns should not outweigh the economic benefits of mining”. The Norwegian government recently announced that it wants to open its Arctic waters to mining. Norway has a large “underground deposit of high-grade phosphate rock” in its seabed. This deposit could satisfy the global demand for solar panels, electric car batteries, and fertilizers for the coming 100 years, which provides it with a strong economic incentive. The UK government has funded a £6mn scientific research project in its own Pacific zones. The UK has, however, said it is waiting for the ISA to announce its new rules before deciding on its next steps. While commercial mining has yet to start, “companies such as De Beers, China Minmetals Corporation, UK Seabed Resources Ltd, and others from Tonga, Nauru, Germany, Japan, and Singapore” are taking steps to prepare for deep-sea mining.
🌱 Who is opposing the mining?
A group of 16 countries is currently opposing deep-sea mining, and France has called for an outright ban. Beyond this, several other member states of the ISA have expressed that they think “it is too soon” to commence with deep-sea mining. They have argued for “a temporary halt” as “the seabed’s role in storing carbon and supporting wildlife [is] still too poorly understood”. Over 700 experts have signed a statement calling for a delay and over 700 000 citizens globally have signed a petition against deep-sea mining. Additionally, several “major companies and banks have pledged [their] support or created policies that exclude financing of deep-sea mining”.
Read more about the ISA’s meetings here:
- https://www.ft.com/content/95ec1105-3f5e-4055-bde8-a0c194f02d35
- https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/15/opinion/ocean-mining-climate.html
- https://www.admin.ch/gov/en/start/documentation/media-releases.msg-id-96138.html
- https://codeblue.galencentre.org/2023/07/03/treaty-to-protect-high-seas-too-late-to-stop-mining/
Read more about Norway’s position here:
- https://www.independent.co.uk/tech/battery-solar-panels-norway-phosphate-b2368444.html