30 Nations Rap Environmentally Destructive Seabed Mining

Deep-sea miner Gerard Barron insists that his company's extraction method has little impact on the environment.

Nations such as China are keen for large-scale deep-sea mining in international waters to get the go-ahead. I Photo: The Metals Company

His firm, The Metals Company, uses remote-controlled machines the size of trucks "to scoop up rocks sitting on the sea floor," Emma Woollacott reported for BBC News.

At present, such commercial extraction is not allowed by the International Seabed Authority (ISA), the UN body that regulates the seafloor in international waters. ISA and its 169 member-states are due to meet later this year to try to finalize rules that may potentially allow it to start, with a final vote expected within 24 months.

Some 30 countries, including the UK, Brazil, Canada, France, and Germany, want the ban to continue because of concerns about the environmental impact.

However, other nations, including China, are keen for large-scale deep-sea mining in international waters to get the go-ahead. It comes as Norway made headlines last week when it became the first country in the world to allow future deep-sea mining in its territorial waters.

The US is exploring the possibility of doing the same, with President Biden ordering the Pentagon to submit a report on the issue by March 1.

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