After governments and civil society groups voted in support of an overwhelming majority, a motion calling for a ban on deep-sea mining was passed at the largest biodiversity summit in the world since the pandemic in Marseille.
International Federation World Congress protect The Natural Science Foundation recognizes the concerns of scientists that the loss of biodiversity will be inevitable and may be permanent. If deep-sea mining is allowed, the impact on the marine ecosystem is unknown.
Environmentalists say the motion sends a strong message to governments that the world opposes mining the seabed at great depths to obtain valuable minerals and metals.
Matthew Gianni, co-founder of the Deep Sea Conservation Coalition (DSCC), said he was pleased with the overwhelming support of the ban by governments, institutions and NGOs.
“The member states of the International Seabed Authority, including FranceThe organizers of this conference now need to wake up and act on behalf of civil society and the environment, and take action to support the suspension,” Gianni said.
Among the government and government agencies, 81 votes were in favor of the suspension, 18 votes against, and 28 abstentions.For NGOs and civil society groups, vote more In favor of bill 069There were 577 votes in favor, 32 votes against, and 35 abstentions.
According to DSCC, the German Ministry of Environment, the Fijian government and many other government agencies voted for the motion. Britain is one of the countries that abstained from voting on the motion.
this sports Call on all member states to support the moratorium on deep-sea mining until a strict and transparent impact assessment is conducted to understand the social, cultural and economic risks, and to ensure the protection of the marine environment. It also called on countries to promote the reform of the International Seabed Authority (ISA) to ensure transparent and environmentally responsible decision-making and supervision.
About 167 countries and the European Union are members of the ISA, which is a multi-agency organization established under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. The agency is debating whether to begin commercial mining licenses for the seabed in just two years.
Charles Clover, executive director of the Blue Ocean Foundation, a marine conservation charity, said: “The International Seabed Authority is so concealed from the public that the deep-sea mining industry, which has hardly investigated its environmental consequences, has developed into it. It can start in just two years. The overwhelming vote of the IUCN motion expresses the real need of the world-to suspend deep-sea mining. ISA now needs to take this very seriously.”
Protectionist organizations including IUCN have pointed out the core conflicts of interest in ISA. Its dual mission, which is to “promote the development of deep-sea minerals while ensuring that such development does not harm the environment”, has led IUCN and other agencies to call on the international community to “strengthen oversight.” Ensure that marine life is protected.
In June, the Pacific nation of Nauru triggered the “two-year rule,” called a nuclear option by some. The rule set a two-year deadline for the ISA to finalize the regulations governing the industry. If this cannot be done, the ISA must allow the mining company to start work in accordance with any regulations at the time.
There are signs that ISA members oppose the competition for commercial mining. In a letter to ISA in July, the African group stated that Nauru’s triggering of the two-year rule “is likely to weaken rather than promote the development of an effective system that fully reflects the principles of the common heritage of mankind”.
The letter stated that the financial system “appropriately compensated[s] “Humanity is its resource” has not yet been established. In addition, the African group’s comments on transparency, inspection, compliance, law enforcement and cross-border damage are not included in the draft regulations, it said.
The moratorium was initiated by Fauna and Flora International and by the Costa Rican MarViva Foundation, Natural Resources Conservation Commission, Sylvia Earle Alliance/Blue Mission, Sync Earth, Wildland Conservation Trust, South Africa and WWF.
A spokesperson for the UK Ministry of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said: “At the IUCN World Conservation Conference, the UK abstained from voting on the motion to suspend deep-sea mining. We promise not to sponsor or support the issuance of any mining licenses for deep-sea mining projects unless There is sufficient scientific evidence to prove the potential impact on deep-sea ecosystems-and strong and enforceable environmental regulations and standards are in place.”
