Climate Change Negotiations – UNFCCC, COP, Other Conventions and Protocols

UN allows Deep Sea Mining operations from July

Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: Deep Sea Mining

Mains level: Not Much

mining

Central idea: The International Seabed Authority has announced that it will start accepting applications from companies for deep sea mining from July.

Why in news?

  • This decision was made in the absence of a mining code that has not been put in place yet.

What is Deep Sea Mining?

  • Deep-sea mining is the process of extracting minerals from the deep ocean floor.
  • The minerals that are extracted can include valuable metals such as copper, gold, nickel, and manganese, as well as rare earth metals that are used in high-tech devices such as smartphones, computers, and electric vehicles.
  • The minerals are found in the form of polymetallic nodules that are located on the ocean floor at depths of around 4 to 6 kilometers.
  • Deep-sea mining involves the use of specially designed equipment that can withstand the extreme pressure and temperature conditions found at these depths.

About International Seabed Authority

  • The International Seabed Authority is a Jamaica-based organization established under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
  • The authority holds jurisdiction over the ocean floors outside of the Exclusive Economic Zones of its 167 member states.

Reasons behind undersea mining

  • The mining is aimed at extracting cobalt, copper, nickel, and manganese from the ocean’s floor.
  • The undersea mining will extract key battery materials from polymetallic nodules found at depths of 4 kilometers to 6 kilometers.
  • These nodules are potato-sized rocks containing cobalt, copper, nickel, and manganese.

Key concern: Mining code missing

  • Despite 10 years of discussion, there is no mining code in place.
  • The governing council of ISA is uncertain about the process it should adopt for reviewing applications for mining contracts.

Issues with deep-sea mining

  • Deep-sea mining is a controversial issue that has raised concerns among non-governmental organizations, experts, and some countries.
  • One major concern is the potential damage to the seabed and the essential function of deep-sea ecosystems in regulating the climate.
  • Mining activities can also have wider impacts on fish populations, marine mammals, and other ocean life.

Tap to read more about

India’s Deep Ocean Mission


Get an IAS/IPS ranker as your 1: 1 personal mentor for UPSC 2024

Attend Now

Subscribe
Notify of
1 Comment
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
User Avatar
11 months ago

It is an important decision of United States when the resources are becoming rare. Some mining games on cubes 2048 show that.

JOIN THE COMMUNITY

Join us across Social Media platforms.

💥Mentorship New Batch Launch
💥Mentorship New Batch Launch