The International Seabed Authority (ISA) governs over half of the world’s ocean floor and is debating whether to allow deep-sea mining.
The newly elected ISA secretary-general, Leticia Carvalho, may oversee the first mining operations despite scientific concerns about environmental harm.
Recent studies suggest deep-sea mining could have irreversible ecological consequences, threatening unique marine life.
Key quote:
“The environmental implications will be significant. They would be irreversible on human timescales.”
— Pradeep Singh, ocean governance expert at the Research Institute for Sustainability
Why this matters:
Mining the deep sea could damage ecosystems that are crucial to ocean health, with impacts that may last for centuries. As the ISA considers approving mining, global debate intensifies over whether the potential economic benefits outweigh the environmental risks.
Mining in parts of the Pacific Ocean was meant to benefit poor countries, but an international agency gave a Canadian company access to prized seabed sites with metals crucial to the green energy revolution.
