The UN agency responsible for regulating the seabed will be discussed The possibility of opening the depths of the oceans to countries and companies That from Monday they can request temporary permits from Mining.
the international seabed authority, The Jamaica-based company kicked off a two-week conference on the issue Monday, a day after a deadline for approval of a series of rules and regulations governing deep-sea mining in international waters.
the desk issued more than 30 exploration permits, But no provisional mining permit… yet.
discussion about Whether or not companies will be allowed to mine precious metals of the sea floor to use in electric car batteries and other green technologies comes as more than a dozen countries are calling for bans or suspensions over environmental concerns.
Scientists said minerals on the sea floor take millions of years to form, and that mining practices can bring noise, light and choking dust storms. The companies argue that Underwater mining is cheaper and less impactful from mining on land.
Most current exploration is focused on the Clarion-Clipperton Fault Zone, which spans 4.5 million square kilometers (1.7 million square miles) between Hawaii and Mexico. Exploration activity is carried out at depths ranging from 4,000 to 6,000 metres.
Canada announced on Monday that it supports the moratorium Because there is neither a regulatory framework nor an in-depth understanding of the environmental impacts of deep sea mining.
“It is critical that the international community recognizes its collective responsibility to protect the health and safety of our shared global environment for generations to come,” the Canadian government said in a statement.
The Council of the International Seabed Authority is due to discuss the issue on Friday. But it is not known when or if they will hold a vote to allow deep-sea mining in international waters, given the sharp divisions on the issue.
“There’s really no desire to vote,” said Duncan Currie, an environmental and international advocate and legal advisor with the Deep Sea Conservation Coalition, an alliance of environmental groups based in the Netherlands.
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