Moratorium on deep-sea mining a 'necessity' says Macron at UN summit

Activists in the 'heavy metals band' Polymetallic Nodules, part of the Ocean Rebellion protest group, demonstrate at the Canary Wharf business district in east London on 3 May, 2023. © BEN STANSALL / AFP

World leaders gathered for the UN Ocean Conference in Nice on Monday called for strict rules to govern deep-sea mining and warned against racing to exploit the ocean floor. This comes amid growing anxiety over US President Donald Trump's unilateral push to fast-track the practice in international waters.

French President Emmanuel Macron said that imposing a moratorium on seabed mining was "an international necessity".