Members of the International Seabed Authority have elected a new secretary general, Leticia Carvalho of Brazil, during their recent session in Kingston, Jamaica. Carvalho received 79 votes, surpassing the incumbent Michael Lodge who received 34 votes. The session concluded without reaching a consensus on a regulatory framework for deep-sea mining.
Currently, there is a growing call for a preliminary halt to deep-sea mining, with 32 states, including Tuvalu, Guatemala, Honduras, and France, supporting the initiative. This comes amidst concerns that the authority may receive an application for the first deep-sea mining exploitation license later this year, while lacking established rules and regulations.
The Metals Company, a Canadian-based mining firm, is anticipated to be the first to apply for such a license. Exploration activities have been ongoing in the Clarion-Clipperton Fracture Zone, a vast area in the Pacific Ocean spanning 1.7 million square miles between Hawaii and Mexico, at depths ranging from 13,000 to 19,000 feet.
Although no exploitation licenses have been issued yet, the demand for precious metals like cobalt, nickel, and copper, essential for green technology, is driving companies and countries to seek seabed mining opportunities.
The International Seabed Authority, established in 1994 with 169 members, including 168 member states and the European Union, faces the challenge of balancing the interests of deep-sea mining with environmental concerns as it navigates the evolving landscape of marine resource exploitation.
