UN to start taking deep-sea mining applications this July
Reuters The International Seabed Authority will start accepting applications in July from companies that want to mine the ocean’s floor, a decision that came after the UN body spent the past two weeks debating standards for the new and controversial practice. Deep-sea mining would extract cobalt, copper, nickel, and manganese – key battery materials – […]
“Lots of talk, little action”: Hundreds protest outside UN Ocean Conference
Lisbon, PortugalReuters Aboriginal Australian activist Theresa Ardler travelled halfway across the world to tell leaders at the UN Ocean Conference in Portugal that they are failing to protect her fishing community back home. Ardler, 50, fears the humpback whales that travel through the deep blue waters surrounding her aboriginal village of Wreck Bay, on the […]
“Not worth the risk”: Palau, Fiji call for deep-sea mining moratorium
Lisbon, Portugal Reuters Concerned about the potential impacts of deep-sea mining on ocean biodiversity, the Pacific islands of Palau and Fiji on Monday launched an “alliance” to call for a moratorium of the nascent industry. The backing of a moratorium comes amid a wave of global interest in deep-sea mining but also growing pressure from […]
Deep sea mining could destroy “our last frontier”, environmentalists say
New Delhi, IndiaThomson Reuters Foundation As India readies for the United Nations to give a green light to deep sea mining and boost its economy, the environmental group Greenpeace said on Wednesday that drilling the seabed could cause irreversible harm and worsen climate change. Without proper governance of the seas, mining could remove entire habitats […]