Possibility for a moratorium on deep-sea mining and greater protections for the ocean swelled on August 2, 2024, when members of the International Seabed Authority (ISA) elected Brazilian oceanographer, Leticia Carvalho, as their new Secretary General. Carvalho, a former oil industry regulator, will replace incumbent Michael Lodge, a public international lawyer who has been serving in the role since 2016. As the first woman and first scientist to hold the position, Carvalho promises more “accountability and transparency” during her 4-year term; these leadership tenets come as a contrast to Lodge’s agenda, which has long neglected science and climate conservation in favor of the seabed mining industry’s commercial interests.
The landslide victory – 79 versus 34 – was a reflection of how tirelessly environmental advocates and coalitions (including many Minerals + Materials grantees) have worked to prioritize a moratorium on a global stage. This election comes at a critical time, as 32 states are in favor of a preliminary halt to deep-sea mining, but many others continue to block progress toward a consensus. Without an agreed-upon regulatory framework in place, it is uncertain whether companies, like The Metals Company will proceed with commercial operations in the absence of a finalized Mining Code. To date, the International Seabed Authority has only issued exploration licenses that preclude commercial deep-sea mining.
At the Assembly meeting during which the vote took place, grantee Deep Sea Conservation Coalition (DCCC) invited President Whipps of Palau to speak. He spoke poetically about the need for the ocean to be viewed not as a tool of colonization, but rather, as a shared “treasure.” He said:
“The deep seabed is the common heritage of humankind. It is a treasure to be held in trust for future generations, not a commodity to be exploited by any nation state or corporation. As our world transforms, and our international regulatory frameworks are developed to manage the change, let us also transform the International Seabed Authority into a body that truly embodies the spirit of [United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea]. Let us not leave Jamaica having granted the mining industry a license to colonize the common heritage of humankind and destroy our greatest ally in our fight against climate change – our ocean.”
Fueling the mounting argument against deep-sea mining is the reality that there is so much left to discover at the bottom of the sea floor. The recent evidence of dark oxygen production twelve thousand feet under the ocean’s surface makes a compelling case for a moratorium, as do the revelatory findings about deep-sea ecosystems made by the Schmidt Ocean Institute.
Screenshot from a recent divestream of a potential manganese nodule field
(Photo courtesy of Schmidt Ocean Institute)
Leading the steady, valiant charge for ocean conservation are many of our deep-sea mining grantees, including Greenpeace, Deep Sea Conservation Coalition, Pacific Network on Globalisation, Earthworks, MiningWatch Canada and Planet Tracker. Over the course of many years, these groups have remained clear-eyed and focused as they charted a multi-pronged pathway towards moratorium momentum. From exposing truths surrounding Secretary-General Lodge’s track record in the mainstream media, to peacefully protesting at sea, to shifting the narrative towards one that values and protects Indigenous perspectives and lifeways, the Minerals + Materials grantees and their partners have elevated this issue from obscurity to a clarion call for protecting the deep sea.
While it is too soon to tell how the details of a finalized Mining Code will evolve in the coming year under the leadership of Leticia Carvalho (she officially takes office on January 1, 2025,) her campaign for accountability, transparency of governance and commitment to protecting the deep sea are defining of a new (and much needed) era for the ISA.