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India plans to explore deep-sea minerals amid debates over moratorium and environmental impacts at the International Seabed Authority.
The search for minerals used in the manufacture of batteries, solar panels and wind turbines, among other energy transition technologies, reached the bottom of the sea. While countries discuss a moratorium or even a ban, others are moving forward with their exploration plans, India being one of these nations.
The race for minerals under the sea
China, Russia and Pacific island countries have already secured licenses for exploration in the Pacific Ocean, allowing testing but not extraction.
A extraction it depends on a regulation that is under discussion at the International Seabed Authority (ISA).
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According to information from Reuters, India plans to focus on the Clarion-Clipperton Zone, between Hawaii and Mexico, where there is a large concentration of polymetallic nodules containing manganese, nickel, copper and cobalt.
However, unlike China, India has no experience in deep-sea mining and it will take at least three to four years before it is ready to extract minerals from the depths of the ocean.
Mining code under discussion
The ISA council has been meeting since last week to negotiate the final text of a proposed Mining Code.
The council is made up of 36 countries, including India, China, Russia and Norway — which has already opened 280 square kilometers of areas in the Greenland, Norwegian and Barents Seas for mining companies to apply for licenses.
So far, 27 of the 36 member countries of the council have been in favor of a moratorium until the possible consequences are known. impacts of this activity at sea and a safe mining code is created.
France, for example, advocates a complete ban on deep-sea mining.
Environmental fears and the “two-year rule”
Amid divergent points of view and interests, there is a fear among environmental organizations that the design of this regulation will not advance and the door remains open to unregulated exploitation.
A “two-year rule” in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, when triggered, allows a State to submit, for approval, a work plan for large-scale commercial mining, even if the code has not been adopted.
The council meeting ends on Friday and will be followed by the general assembly, where all 167 member states, plus the European Union, must decide whether to allow deep-sea mining to begin and elect the next secretary-general. .
The dispute is between the current secretary, British Michael Lodge, and Brazilian marine scientist and diplomat Leticia Carvalho.
Uncertain cost-benefit of deep-sea extraction
Less than 25% of the ocean has been mapped by researchers in the world and there are still no commercial mining operations in deep seas, increasing the degree of doubt about the risks and benefits of extracting resources from little-known ecosystems.
Proponents of deep-sea mining argue that it is necessary to meet increased demand for critical metals to support energy transition initiatives.
They rely on consultancy projections indicating that the supply of many minerals and metals needed to manufacture key low-carbon technologies will face shortages later this decade.
On the other hand, researchers claim that the biosphere is made up of more than 90% of the ocean floor, so it plays a very important role in climate regulation and fish production.
However, it is already under stress due to climate change, trawling and pollution.
In a statement signed by more than 800 marine science and policy experts from more than 44 countries, they say that deep-sea mining would increase these stressors, resulting in the irreversible loss of biodiversity and ecosystem functioning.
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