{"id":40077067,"date":"2019-02-25T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2019-02-24T18:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/china-dialogue-ocean-staging.darkbluehq.com\/uncategorized\/6682-future-deep-seabed-mining\/"},"modified":"2023-05-05T17:38:09","modified_gmt":"2023-05-05T16:38:09","slug":"6682-future-deep-seabed-mining","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/ocean\/6682-future-deep-seabed-mining\/","title":{"rendered":"The future of deep seabed mining"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s one of the coldest, darkest places on earth, full of marine life \u2013 much of which is yet to be discovered \u2013 with a seabed rich in mineral deposits.<\/p>\n

In the last decade, the floor of the deep ocean that lies outside the jurisdiction of any one country has been increasingly explored. A number of parties are assessing the size and extent of mineral deposits that could provide raw materials for everything from batteries and jet engines to wind turbines and mobile phones.<\/p>\n

Some deep seabed mining has already taken place within countries\u2019 waters:\u00a0Japan<\/a> in 2017, and in\u00a0Papua New Guinea<\/a> where the controversial Solwara 1 mining project has ground to a halt. But this year will see a critical global debate on how to manage the resources that lie in \u201cthe area\u201d \u2013 international waters of more than 200 metres deep that cover nearly two-thirds of the earth.<\/p>\n

The question of who mines these \u2013 and how \u2013 is due to be formalised in a \u201ccode\u201d being drawn up by the International Seabed Authority (ISA), the UN\u2013appointed body responsible for managing the riches of the deep seabed for the \u201ccommon heritage of mankind\u201d.<\/p>\n

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A squat lobster looking out from within a deep sea octocoral, 1,150m beneath the Gulf of Mexico. (Image: NOAA<\/a>)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Tasked with what some say is an impossible mandate of promoting the development of deep seabed mining while ensuring the practice does not harm the marine environment, the ISA\u2019s 168 members must agree on how these fragile and unique ecosystems will be protected, how the potentially multibillion dollar industry will be regulated, how any profits will be shared equitably, and how it can demonstrate accountability and transparency.<\/p>\n

The clock is ticking. So far, the ISA has granted 29 exploration contracts of 15 years for three types of deposits across more than 1.3 million square kilometres of seabed in the Pacific, Indian and Atlantic oceans. Several of these contracts are due to expire in 2021, so the ISA has two key meetings<\/a> in February and July in Kingston, Jamaica, to finalise the code and meet its deadline of 2020.<\/p>\n

Those advising on the code say that for perhaps the first time in history, a governing body and its members have the chance to establish rules for an extractive industry before it begins. But civil society groups and scientists argue that the world\u2019s ocean is already severely stressed from climate impacts and overfishing, and that regulations are being developed without a full understanding of the risks.<\/p>\n

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(Source:\u00a0The Pew Charitable\u00a0Trusts<\/a>\u00a0& New Zealand Environment Guide. Graphic:\u00a0Ed Harrison<\/a>\u00a0\/ China Dialogue Ocean)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Deep sea mineral formations contain a number of highly prized metals, including copper, zinc, manganese, cobalt and rare earth elements.<\/p>\n

Polymetallic nodules, consisting mainly of manganese, are bumpy, usually potato-sized balls suspended in mud on the floors of the deep abyss. They\u2019re found in an exploration zone of the eastern Pacific known as Clarion-Clipperton. This is the area of greatest commercial interest, estimated to hold more nickel, cobalt and manganese than all known terrestrial deposits combined. A recent MIT cost-benefit analysis found that mining these nodules would be profitable, with annual revenues of up to US$2.2 billion a year.<\/p>\n

Polymetallic sulphides are formed through hydrothermal activity when hot water, discharged from the earth\u2019s crust, hits the cold water and deposits a \u201cheap\u201d of minerals including iron, silver and gold. These vents look like smokestacks, and are mostly located on the top of steep, semi-active volcanoes deep in the Pacific and Atlantic.<\/p>\n

Cobalt crusts are found on underwater mountains, mostly in the Pacific, at depths of 400 to 7,000 metres, and contain rare earths.<\/p>\n \n\t

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