The International Seabed Authority (ISA) wrapped up three weeks of negotiations in Jamaica Friday with no decision on deep seabed mining, denying the mining industry the green light to go ahead for at least another two years.

The 168 member countries of the ISA Assembly failed to reach agreement, and in the end just adopted its provisional agenda and extended the current 2019-23 Strategic Plan by another two years.

That means the push to have the body approve mining activities on the seabed and a plan to design a code for that – backed by Mexico, Nauru, Norway, and the UK – did not secure the support needed to open up the bottom of the ocean for mining of rare metals.

At the same time, the proposal by Chile, Costa Rica, France, Palau, and Vanuatu to impose a moratorium on mining in a bid to protect the marine environment was also blocked, though Chile said the move would be reintroduced at the ISA Assembly to be held in mid-2024.

The talks have been highly controversial, with the scientific community stressing it does not have sufficient knowledge to allow the start of a new industry that could potentially cause havoc to marine biodiversity and ecosystems, while proponents have said they need access to minerals critical to the green energy transition.

“We cannot and must not embark on a new industrial activity when we are not yet able to fully measure its consequences, and therefore risk irreversible damage to our marine ecosystems,” Herve Berville, France’s secretary of state for seas, said at the talks, according to France 24.

“Our responsibility is immense, and none of us in this room will be able to say that we were unaware of the collapse of marine biodiversity, the rise in sea level, or the sudden increase in ocean temperature.”

ACTIVIST DELIGHT

Kicking the can down the road on seabed mining was considered a win by activists who had fought against an approval of the proposal, even though the final outcome in Kingston kept open a two-year loophole meaning the ISA must consider any mining licence applications it might receive ahead of finalising a Mining Code.

“We’ve seen intense debate at the ISA between those who want to progress deep seabed mining, and those who are wisely choosing a more precautionary stewardship to preserve the common good of humankind,” said Jessica Battle, who is leading WWF’s No Deep Seabed Mining Initiative.

“The compromise decision reached here today opens the door to have a proper discussion involving all member states of the ISA on protecting the marine environment and whether deep seabed mining can go ahead at all. This is an important step forward.”

More than 20 countries have come out against opening for deep sea mining, either in the form of a cautionary pause while waiting for more science, a moratorium, or an outright ban.

That list includes Brazil, Canada, Finland, Ireland, and Portugal, who have announced their stance just over the past month, following on from Sweden and Switzerland in June.

A group of 37 financial institutions with over €3.3 trillion in assets under management, the UN Commissioner on Human Rights, a significant share of the seafood industry, and a large number of environmental and youth groups are among those that have fought against ISA opening for mining on the seabed.

“With no mining code agreed and resistance mounting, prospective deep-sea miners have had their plans foiled. As the atmosphere gets increasingly tense at the ISA, the industry’s future is starting to look shaky,” said Emma Wilson policy officer at the Deep Sea Conservation Coalition.

“Investors, industry stakeholders, battery manufacturers, and tech companies are clearly becoming increasingly concerned about the viability of future deep-sea mining projects and are joining growing calls for a pause or moratorium.”

It was not immediately clear what the outcome will mean for the proposal announced by the government of Norway last month to open up an area of over 280,000 sq. km of its continental shelf for mining, although that plan is still subject to a parliamentary vote later in the year.

By Stian Reklev – stian@carbon-pulse.com

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