Delegates from around the world discussing the fate of the seafloor are wrapping up their meeting in Kingston, Jamaica, at the 27th Session of the International Seabed Authority (ISA). ISA is the body charged with the responsibility of protecting the deep sea environment.
Following the trigger pulled by Nauru on the “2-year rule” to begin deep sea mining by next summer, ISA member states have sped up negotiations on the rules to regulate the industry. Since then, the ISA has displayed a reckless and unabashed pro-mining stance that promotes exploitation, failing to capture the high biodiversity and essential life-sustaining services deep sea ecosystems provide. Those who stand to profit first are a handful of companies based in developed countries operating through subsidiaries in the developing States of the Pacific. The Metals Company, listed on the NASDAQ Stock Exchange, has vowed to start commercial mining in 2024.
Greenpeace has called on ISA member states to stop the destructive deep sea mining industry that would be launched in one of the most important, fragile, and least understood ecosystems on earth. The technology and electric vehicle sectors have been identified as an important segment of the minerals market. However, leaders in those fields, including Rivian, Renault, BMW, Volkswagen, Volvo Group, Scandia, Google, and Samsung, have signed a call for a moratorium, raising doubts among the public and investors alike about whether a market will exist for these minerals at all.
Greenpeace USA senior oceans campaigner Arlo Hemphill, who is attending the meeting in Kingston, said:
“The ISA has continued its rush into seabed mining despite its legal obligations to protect the ocean and the warning from over 621 scientists of the irreversible harm that would come from the destruction of this critical life-sustaining environment. Their profit over the environment approach is contrary to their mandate. It treats the lives and livelihoods of those who would be affected by the launch of this destructive new extractive industry as a negligible afterthought. They would add fuel to a house already on fire from the climate crisis.”
“The time-bomb triggered by Nauru is ticking, but Greenpeace once again calls on ISA member states to put the brakes on this process, which is not inevitable and is out of step with the rest of the world. ISA member states have made bold public commitments for ocean protection in other fora. We expect them to act consistently and honor those commitments here as well. It is imperative that governments stop this train wreck of an industry.”
Dr. Theresa Rodriguez-Moodie, CEO of the Jamaica Environment Trust, who has also been monitoring the meeting, said:
“There are so many unknowns associated with deep sea mining. However, what we know is that the environmental impacts are likely to be on a massive scale. Jamaica, as a small island developing state that is highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, is also likely to be affected by the changes in our ocean. As global citizens, the Jamaica Environment Trust (JET) joins the efforts of those holding world leaders accountable for their actions related to the health of our oceans.”
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Contact: Tanya Brooks, Greenpeace USA Senior Communications Specialist, P: 703-342-9226, E: [email protected]
