TCarta Plans Bathymetric Mapping Workshop for Jamaica
TCarta Marine, a global provider of hydrospatial products and services, will conduct a week-long coastal bathymetric mapping workshop for hydrographic surveyors in Jamaica. The workshop will be hosted by the Jamaica National Land Agency (NLA) and funded by The Nippon Foundation-GEBCO Seabed 2030 project.Scheduled for the week of February 5, 2024, at the NLA Surveys & Mapping Division headquarters in Kingston, Jamaica, the workshop will instruct participants in the use of satellite-derived bathymetry (SDB) technology with the TCarta Trident Geoprocessing Toolbox. The software-as-a-service SDB
Canada's TMC to Seek Seabed Mining License in 2024
at the ISA's Assembly meeting last week."The meeting ended without a moratorium on deep-sea mining being discussed, despite clear and widespread support," said Martin Webeler, a researcher with the Environmental Justice Foundation.Webeler and other campaigners attending the ISA meetings in Jamaica said members of the Chinese delegation had refused to allow discussion of a moratorium."The ability of one state to prevent delegates from even talking about a pause again highlights the fundamental flaws of the ISA," he said.Responding to the claims on Thursday, China's foreign ministry
Deep-sea Mining: A New Gold Rush or Environmental Disaster?
land-based extraction as part of the world's shift from fossil fuels to renewable energy.More than a dozen nations have sponsored small-scale exploration projects, but commercial mining of international waters is not permitted - something which will be debated at a key U.N. meeting on the issue in Jamaica, beginning this week.Gerard Barron, CEO of The Metals Company (TMC), which is leading efforts to hoover up the nodules thousands of metres deep underwater, said that mining the ocean does less damage to nature than extraction in places like the Indonesian rainforest."Our oceans are full of
Deep-Sea Mining Threatens Biodiversity 25 Times More Than Land-Based Mining, Report Says
those lost, could mitigate these impacts.But this would cost between $5.3 - $5.7 million per square kilometer, compared with $2.7 million price per square kilometer to mine them, according to the report.Seabed mining in international waters cannot start until the International Seabed Authority (ISA), a Jamaica-based U.N. body, decides on regulations expected by July.Several countries, including Germany, and companies, such as Google, AB Volvo Group, and Samsung SDI are calling for a moratorium on the start of the practice.Others are supporting it. Norway in June proposed opening parts of its extended
UN to Start Taking Deep-sea Mining Applications This July
called "polymetallic nodules" on the ocean's floor at depths of 4 to 6 km (2.5 to 4 miles). They are abundant in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ) in the North Pacific Ocean between Hawaii and Mexico.The ISA's governing council formulated a draft decision on Thursday after meeting in Jamaica that allows companies to file permit applications starting on July 9, a deadline set in motion by actions the island nation of Nauru took in 2021, according to a copy seen by Reuters.The ISA's staff would then have three business days to inform the council. The council plans to meet virtually
Airbnb Co-founder Donates $25 Million to The Ocean Cleanup
to “close the tap” by intercepting additional plastic downstream before it can reach the ocean. Its Interceptor Solutions are currently deployed or trialing in eight countries around the world – the most recent deployments began operations in Los Angeles County (USA) and Kingston (Jamaica) in November and December 2022, respectively. So far, the organization’s technology has intercepted over 2 million kilograms (almost 4.5 million pounds) of trash in rivers, keeping it out of our oceans for good.Joe Gebbia, Co-founder of Airbnb and Samara and Chairman of Airbnb.org“I&rsquo
Subsea Mining Plans Pit Renewable Energy Demand Against Ocean Life
rules for ocean resources.It allows countries to control economic activities, including any mining, within 200 miles of their coastlines, accounting for approximately 35% of the ocean. Beyond national waters, countries around the world established the International Seabed Authority, or ISA, based in Jamaica, to regulate deep seabed mining.Critically, the ISA framework calls for some of the profits derived from commercial mining to be shared with the international community. In this way, even countries that did not have the resources to mine the deep seabed could share in its benefits. This part of
Australian Mining Magnate Calls for Ban on Seabed Mining
up potato-sized rocks rich in battery metals that blanket vast swathes of the sea floor at depths of 4-6 kilometres, and are especially abundant in the north Pacific Ocean.Mining the seabed in areas outside national jurisdiction cannot begin until the International Seabed Authority, a U.N. body based in Jamaica, decides on regulations governing the industry. Some seabed mining already occurs in national waters but at much shallower depths, for example offshore Namibia where a De Beers subsidiary mines diamonds.The ISA's latest round of negotiations, ending this Friday, has been marked by division between
UN Deep-sea Mining Rules Unlikely to be Completed by 2023 Deadline, Latam Countries Say
ISA Council might not be able to finalize and adopt the required regulations within the two-year period, adding that delegations are far from reaching agreement on key issues.The Latin American and Caribbean Group includes Argentina, the Bahamas, Chile, Costa Rica, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Guyana, Jamaica, Panama and Trinidad and Tobago.The African Group in July also criticized the fast-tracking of negotiations, saying the task of agreeing on regulations by mid-2023 is “seemingly insurmountable”.Deep-sea mining involves sucking up potato-sized rocks rich in cobalt, nickel and other battery
February 2024
