Explained: How deep-sea mining & demand for green technologies threaten marine life

Last month, Switzerland, decided to push for a moratorium on commercial exploitation of the international seabed area filled with enormous mineral resources. The nation said that deep-sea mining in the area "must be postponed" until protection from the "harmful effects" could be ensured.

Not just in Switzerland, deep-sea mining should be a matter of global concern. France and Germany are also launching the fight against plans to allow large-scale commercial mining in the deep waters, as they warned that a China-backed push to extract battery metals from the seafloor could have long-term consequences.

What is deep-sea mining?

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The process of retrieving mineral deposits from the deep seabed, the ocean below 200m, is called deep-sea mining. The process depletes terrestrial deposits. It is said that the rising demand for metals means deep-sea mining may begin soon. However, a number of research suggest that it could be destructive for biodiversity and ecosystems.

According to scientists, the process also risks disrupting the ocean's capacity to absorb carbon dioxide emitted by human activities, and its noise interferes with the communication of species such as whales.

The interest in this area is gaining momentum because of the depletion of terrestrial metal reserves such as copper, nickel, aluminium, manganese, zinc, lithium, and cobalt.

These metals are also in high demand for the manufacture of devices such as cell phones, wind turbines, solar panels, and batteries.

Scientists are concerned, but some support the process of deep-sea mining as they argue that these minerals found beneath the sea are needed if the world is to meet the growing demand for green technologies.

International Seabed Authority (ISA)

ISA regulates activities in the seabed beyond national jurisdiction ('the Area'). It was established under the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and is responsible for protecting the seabed in the high seas as well as regulating activities related to coveted minerals.

Currently, the Jamaica-based organisation only awards exploration permits for certain places, which the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child deems as "the common heritage of mankind".

By May 2022, the body had issued 31 contracts to explore deep-sea mineral deposits. More than 1.5 million km2 of international seabed has been set aside for mineral exploration.

Emma Wilson of the Deep Sea Conservation Coalition told AFP, "I think it's a very real possibility that we see an application submitted this year."

"So it's crucial for states to be bold and implement the necessary measures to protect our ocean," she said, further adding that ISA is entering "the most critical decision-making period in the history of its existence".

What's the controversy?

In 2021, the small Pacific island state of Nauru threw a spanner into the works of the decade-long negotiations for the mining code by triggering a clause demanding that agreement be reached within two years.

Despite the fact that there are few restrictions in existence, the formal request triggered a clause that put the ISA on a two-year countdown to assess the application.

The deadline has passed now and if Nauru applied for a contract with Naura Ocean Resources (Nori), a subsidiary of Canadian corporation The Metals Company, ISA would have to review the proposal,but may not necessarily grant it.

Experts have said that the Nauru authorities have given assurances that they will not act immediately, but other companies sponsoring states' underwater mining ventures could take advantage of the opportunity.

Pradeep Singh, laws of the sea expert at the Research Institute for Sustainability in Potsdam, Germany, told AFP, "I'm not too concerned. I think it would be a mistake to submit an application anytime soon, seeing that states are still negotiating and working towards completing the regulation."

"The indication is quite clear that states are very reluctant and hesitant to allow mining to commence without regulations," he added.

Experts are concerned

It is said that crucial research and work to adopt the required regulations, standards and guidelines to manage deep-sea mining sustainably is far from complete, but deep-sea mining in international waters could start as soon as 2026.

The 36 member states of the ISA Council, which is the decision-making body on contracts, said in March that commercial exploitation "should not be carried out" until the mining code was in place.

However, they couldn't agree on the procedure for reviewing a potential application or the precise meaning of the clause triggered by Nauru.

Scientists say that it is quite difficult to assess the potential impacts of deep-sea mining because it remains understudied and poorly understood. Any disturbances on the seabed may impact three billion people whose livelihoods depend on marine and coastal biodiversity. Hence, placing measures to protect the marine environment is not an easy task.

In order to mitigate the issue, some experts suggested that there's a need to reduce reliance on metals from mining, which can be accomplished through redesigning, reusing, and recycling.

(With inputs from agencies)

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