Concerns for Deep Sea Ecosystems Heighten as US Opens Opportunities For Mining and Extraction
In the same week as the US Government moved to accelerate offshore mining and open new opportunities for mineral extraction, a new reflection paper co-authored by PML Honorary Fellow Torsten Thiele urges the International Seabed Authority to declare a moratorium/precautionary pause on such activity.
The paper, titled "Delivering Benefits to Humankind: Opportunities for the International Seabed Authority under a Deep-Sea Mining Moratorium," has been published by the Deep Sea Conservation Coalition (DSCC) and explores the “critical opportunities available to the International Seabed Authority (ISA) and the world under a moratorium or precautionary pause on deep-sea mining."
Torsten Thiele, Founder of The Global Ocean Trust, co-authored Chapter Four of the paper, "Economics of a Deep-Sea Mining Moratorium," alongside Ussif Rashid Sumaila, Professor of Ocean and Fisheries Economics at the University of British Columbia.
“The value of the deep sea floor ecosystems is immense," said Torsten. "The ISA has an important role to play in safeguarding this blue natural capital and managing exploration.”
“New technologies are enabling a far greater understanding of the deep ocean, but there is still much to be discovered and understood," said Kerry Howell, Professor of Deep-Sea Ecology at PML, who is using advances in AI to identify deep sea marine life. "The Deep Ocean plays a vital role in our planet’s climate system, supporting unique habitats and species as well as acting as a carbon sink. It is vital these regions are managed sensitively as there is much at stake.”