DoomsdaysCW<p>If Earth loses its sources of oxygen, that won't be a very green transition. smh</p><p><a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/DeepSeaMining" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>DeepSeaMining</span></a> opponents suffer major setback</p><p>by Amélie BOTTOLLIER-DEPOIS <br>August 3, 2024 </p><p>"Opponents of deep sea mining suffered a serious setback Friday when they failed to take a first step toward an international moratorium on the controversial practice.</p><p>"Until now, those in favor of such mining—which would deliver minerals key to the green transition but with a potentially high environmental cost—have managed to prevent the <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/InternationalSeabedAuthority" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>InternationalSeabedAuthority</span></a> (<a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/ISA" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>ISA</span></a>) from even taking up any debate on the subject.</p><p>"This time, the debate took place, but a draft calling for a 'dialogue' toward 'the development of a general policy... for the protection and preservation of the marine environment' did not advance after a week of talks in Kingston, Jamaica.</p><p>"Numerous delegations, from <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/China" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>China</span></a> to <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/SaudiArabia" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>SaudiArabia</span></a> to the <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Africa" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Africa</span></a> group of member states, said the draft lacked clarity and that the ISA's full assembly of 168 members was not the forum to make any decision on the protection of <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/marine" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>marine</span></a> habitats.</p><p>"Instead, those countries said the Council, made up of 36 states, should decide.</p><p>"Faced with consistent opposition, <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Chile" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Chile</span></a> withdrew the draft measure as the assembly's annual session—which makes decisions by consensus—drew to a close.</p><p>"'We are somewhat disappointed,' said Chilean representative Salvador Vega Telias. Though he believed he had support from a majority of states, he opted to shelve the discussions until July 2025—a proposal that was not approved either.</p><p>"Deep sea mining in international waters involves scraping the ocean floor for <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/minerals" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>minerals</span></a> like <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/nickel" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>nickel</span></a>, <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/cobalt" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>cobalt</span></a> and <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/copper" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>copper</span></a>, crucial for <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/RenewableEnergy" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>RenewableEnergy</span></a> energy technology.</p><p>"Under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (<a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/UNCLOS" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>UNCLOS</span></a>), the ISA is responsible for both protecting the seabed in areas beyond national jurisdictions and for overseeing any exploration or exploitation of resources in those zones.</p><p>"Deep sea mining has not yet taken place beyond the experimental and exploratory stage.</p><p>"The ISA's Council, which for now only grants exploration contracts, has been drawing up commercial exploitation rules for more than a decade. They are aiming to adopt a mining code in 2025.</p><p>"Non-governmental organizations and scientists warn that deep sea mining could damage <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/habitats" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>habitats</span></a> and harm species that are little understood, but are potentially important to the <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/FoodChain" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>FoodChain</span></a>.</p><p>"In addition, they point to the risk of disrupting the ocean's capacity to absorb carbon emitted by human activities, and the noise that could disturb species such as <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/whales" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>whales</span></a>."</p><p>Read more:<br><a href="https://phys.org/news/2024-08-deep-sea-opponents-major-setback.html" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">phys.org/news/2024-08-deep-sea</span><span class="invisible">-opponents-major-setback.html</span></a></p><p><a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/OceansAreLife" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>OceansAreLife</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/MarineLife" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>MarineLife</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/DeepSeaMining" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>DeepSeaMining</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/NoDeepSeaMining" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>NoDeepSeaMining</span></a><br><a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/DarkOxygen" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>DarkOxygen</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/LifeOnEarth" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>LifeOnEarth</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Extinction" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Extinction</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Nodules" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Nodules</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Greenwashing" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Greenwashing</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/CorporateColonialism" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>CorporateColonialism</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/CorporatePolluters" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>CorporatePolluters</span></a></p>