International Seabed Authority Meetings fall short of turning promise to action

The talks came just weeks after world leaders gathered at the UN Ocean Conference in Nice, where ambitious commitments were made to protect the Ocean. Yet, despite hopes that the ISA would seize the momentum generated in Nice, the meetings fell short of translating those promises into meaningful action. While some governments stood firm in their call to protect the deep sea and resisted pressures to open it up for exploitation, no agreement was reached on a moratorium on deep-sea mining.

At the heart of the Council’s recent negotiations was the Mining Code, which again was not adopted—highlighting the scale and complexity of unresolved regulatory issues. In parallel, the Council launched an investigation into whether contractors, including The Metals Company, are meeting their legal obligations under existing agreements with the International Seabed Authority and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Concern therefore remains that unless the international community agrees on a moratorium, indicating a clear commitment to precaution and multilateralism, the ISA could be blindly drifting toward authorising one of the most expansive and risky mining endeavours in Earth’s history.

An important win also came as Croatia, another EU Member State, officially announced its support for a precautionary pause on DSM, bringing the total number of countries opposing the start of this destructive industry to 38.

Deep-Sea Mining: The loud threat beneath the silence

Deep-sea mining has the potential to pose significant risk to marine ecosystems. The process of extracting minerals from the ocean floor requires heavy machinery, which would cause extensive physical destruction to habitats that have developed over thousands of years.

One of the major concerns is underwater noise pollution, which can disrupt communication, navigation, and breeding behaviours of marine species. This is compounded by large scientific gaps in our understanding of the deep sea — leaving humanity blind to what might be lost before it is even discovered.

Charting a path forward through multilateralism

Effective multilateral action is essential to ensure that decisions on deep-sea mining are made collectively by the international community within the framework of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. The ISA must meaningfully uphold its mandate to safeguard the marine environment and resist industry pressure to fast-track a Mining Code that lacks robust scientific and environmental safeguards.