Will deep-sea mining get the green light? Scientists sound alarm
green technology. The UN agency has issued more than 30 exploration licenses but none for actual mining so far. Most of the exploration is focused on an area between Hawaii and Mexico that spans some 1.7 million square miles (4.5 million square kilometers), with the activity taking place at depths of up to 19,000 feet (6,000 metres).
Members of the International Seabed Authority said they expect to resume work on the proposed regulatory framework at the body's third meeting in November this year. Asked what would happen if a country or company applied for a deep sea mining license without regulations, the agency's secretary general said the council would deal with things as they came up. “The council can meet whenever it wishes," he said.
Council President Juan José González Mijares said at the briefing that a regulatory framework has to be in place before any exploitation activity begins. A growing number of countries are calling for a moratorium or a precautionary pause on deep sea mining, saying they are concerned about the potential environmental impact. They want more scientific studies done first.
Scientists have warned that such activity could kick up silt storms and create noise and light pollution in a watery underworld that has barely been explored. Companies pushing for deep sea mining, however, argue that undersea mining would be cheaper and have less of an environmental impact than land mining. (With PTI inputs)
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