Canada calls for moratorium on deep-sea mining as International Seabed Authority debates rules on extracting minerals from the ocean floor
While a Canadian company is pushing for deep-sea mining, the federal government is joining calls for a moratorium on extracting minerals from the world’s ocean floor.
Eighteen countries, as well as financial institutions and companies, are taking positions against deep-sea mining in international waters. Canada’s July 10 statement confirms it will not support commercial extraction of minerals from the seafloor until more is known about the environmental impacts and there is a “robust regulatory regime” in place.
“Seabed mining should take place only if effective protection of the marine environment is provided through a rigorous regulatory structure, applying precautionary and ecosystem-based approaches, using science-based and transparent management and ensuring effective compliance with a robust inspection mechanism,” the government of Canada said in a joint statement from the ministries of Foreign Affairs, Natural Resources, Fisheries and Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard.
The support for a moratorium comes as delegates and observers, including from Canada, negotiate next steps at the International Seabed Authority meetings this month in Kingston, Jamaica. The International Seabed Authority is an autonomous, intergovernmental body established by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. It is made up of 168 members and regulates the ocean floor beyond national jurisdiction. These waters are beyond national jurisdiction. As it stands now, there are no clear and agreed-upon extraction regulations for the industry.
“The pressure is on to protect the deep sea, and Canada’s support for a moratorium comes at a critical moment,” Nicole Zanesco, Oceans North’s International Policy Advisor, said in a statement. Oceans North, a marine conservation group, is the only Canadian observer at the meetings in Kingston.
There is still a lot to negotiate at the International Seabed Authority meetings over the next three short weeks including environmental protections, clean-up responsibilities should disaster strike, financial payment regimes for permits and how to structure contracts and enforcement mechanisms. For regulations to take effect, they must be adopted by consensus of the authority’s council, made up of 36 states.
For the first time, the international regulator is also being asked to discuss a general policy on what a pause to deep-sea mining would look like, rather than solely focus on how to allow mining. A coalition of five states — Chile, Costa Rica, France, Palau and Vanuatu — have put forward a request to discuss how to implement a “precautionary recess” of deep-sea mining.
Source: Is deep-sea mining imminent? Canada wants a pause | The Narwhal
