There is growing international interest in deep-sea mining, but there is also pressure from some environmental groups and governments to either ban it or ensure it only goes ahead if proper regulations are in place. Deep-sea mining would involve using heavy machinery on the ocean floor to suck up small rocks, known as nodules, that contain cobalt, manganese and other rare metals used mainly in batteries. “We must create the legal framework to stop high seas mining and not allow new activities that endanger these ecosystems,” Macron said Thursday at an event on the sidelines of the UN oceans conference in Lisbon. “But at the same time we need to promote our scientists and explorers to get to know the open sea better,” he added. “We need to understand better to protect ourselves.” Although the president has expressed concerns about deep-sea mining, France has an exploration contract through L’Institut Français de Recherche pour l’Exploitation de la Mer (National Institute for Ocean Science) for an area of 75,000 square kilometers (29,000 square miles). the Clarion-Clipperton Zone, an area of the North Pacific seafloor rich in polymetallic nodules. The International Seabed Authority (ISA), a UN body, draws up regulations governing deep seabed mining – areas beyond any national jurisdiction. Until global rules are in place, no seabed mining is allowed. Several nations, including the Pacific islands of Palau and Fiji, as well as Chile, have called for a global moratorium on all deep-sea mining activities, citing environmental concerns and a lack of sufficient scientific data. But not all countries are against it. China is a leader in deepwater mining exploration, and small nations have also gotten involved. The small Pacific island nation of Nauru gave the ISA an ultimatum last year, stating its intention to begin deepwater mining by June 2023 and asking the authority to speed up the adoption of seabed mining regulations. G7 countries agreed last month that they would only consent to such mining projects if they did not seriously damage the environment. Peter Thomson, the UN’s special envoy for the ocean, told Reuters he believed regulations to address these concerns would soon emerge.
