Intense discussions over Deep-Sea Mining
OceanCare is currently partaking in meetings at the International Seabed Authority (ISA) in Kingston, Jamaica. The ISA is in the process of elaborating regulations for a new and highly destructive extractive industry: deep-sea mining. According to scientists, deep-sea mining would have impacts throughout the water column, including physical destruction of habitats and organisms, generation of sediment plumes and production of considerable underwater noise.
We are only one short year away from the moment when Countries may be required to make a decision on whether or not to adopt hastily negotiated regulations to strip-mine the seabed, in spite of the significant environmental concerns. If the regulations are approved, deep-sea mining would be allowed to begin. This is a pivotal moment in environmental decision-making. As the pressure mounts, an Alliance of Countries for a Moratorium on Deep-Sea Mining has formed. OceanCare stands in solidarity with those champion States and echo their call for a moratorium on an industry that contravenes international commitments to halt and reverse biodiversity loss.
For more information about numerous concerns about the potential impacts of Deep-Sea Mining, please visit the website of the Deepsea Conservation Coalition (OceanCare is a Member of DSCC): www.savethehighseas.org
Details about the potential impacts of noise-generating activities linked to deep-sea mining can be found within the detailed OceanCare Report Deep-Sea Mining: a noisy affair.