Deep-Sea Mining Talks End With No Agreement on Environmental Rules
Mining could begin in less than a year after talks fail to produce regulatory framework despite growing calls to halt harm to oceans.
The negotiations on opening the world’s first deep-sea mines ended in Kingston, Jamaica, last week with no agreement, meaning that less than a year remains before a legal clause kicks in that could see seabed mining commence without any environmental or economic regulations in place.
Three weeks of discussions on the “two-year rule” at the council headquarters of the International Seabed Authority (ISA) – the UN body that oversees mining in international waters – ended in stalemate on 4 August.