The International Seabed Authority (ISA) meeting in Jamaica concluded last week following three weeks of rigorous negotiations on the future of deep-sea mining. Despite the extensive influence of the mining industry, a chorus of nations voiced significant resistance against deep-sea mining at the meeting.
Here are the main outcomes:
What we can celebrate 🎊
No mining code was adopted this year. The mining industry was banking on this July being the start of deep-sea mining, but no green light was given.
Pausing deep-sea mining was on the agenda for the first time in the ISA’s history. Even though the debate, aiming to highlight the harmful effects on the marine environment, was eventually blocked by China, far more nations supported allowing the discussion.
Momentum continues to grow globally against deep-sea mining — 21 governments are now calling for a precautionary pause, moratorium, or ban within international waters.
What concerns us ⚠️
The ISA failed to close the legal loophole that would allow the mining industry to begin without regulations in place. This means that the threat of deep-sea mining still remains.
With no moratorium on deep-sea mining implemented, the adoption of regulations was only postponed, not halted for good — we need to continue fighting.
The end of the ISA meeting marks an important milestone in the deep-sea mining campaign. We at Only One are so grateful for your support in the fight for the ocean. Please stay tuned and stay involved as we continue this campaign. And if you haven’t already, please consider signing the petition to #DefendTheDeep.
