Cook Islands Parliament makes changes to seabed mining law
The Cook Islands has made amendments to its Seabed Minerals Act this week, including replacing the term “mining” with “minerals harvesting … to reflect the actual activity that takes
Opinion: Seabed mining rules lapse is window for Pacific regulations
In late July, after weeks of fierce debate at the International Seabed Authority (ISA) meeting in Jamaica, deep-sea mining proponents failed to get an agreement for the immediate licensing of deep sea mining operations.
Power of the sea
A technology now being tested that harnesses seawater to produce electricity could address some of the Pacific Islands’ problems with power outages. Under the Project for Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC), a
Opinion: High seas treaty too late to stop seabed mining
When the International Seabed Authority begins accepting applications for deep-sea mining operations in the coming weeks, there will remain a lingering question. How much control will authorities have over operations to
Opinion: You can’t mine the seabed without proper rules
Mining the seabed without proper regulations seems outlandish. But it could happen sooner than we think. 10 July, 2023 is shaping as D-Day for the world’s oceans. That is the day after a two-year deadline placed on
Pentagon ordered to probe undersea mining to counter China
The Metals Company, a mineral explorer of the Pacific Ocean floor, is welcoming United States Congressional efforts to elevate contentious undersea mining to help achieve battery metal independence from
Pacific calls for immediate ratification of Highseas Treaty
As the global community embrace the adoption of the new Biodiversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) treaty, the Pacific are calling on the international community to seize this milestone momentum and rally
Opinion: Australia should support minimum terms and conditions for Pacific seabed mining
The extraction of deep seabed mining resources on an industrial scale at incredible depths is a new frontier with many unknowns. But the potential gains are immense. Deep sea deposits contain manganese, cobalt, nickel,
Recycle metals instead of seabed mining, says PNG anti-mining activist
An anti-mining group in Papua New Guinea is calling on its government to explore opportunities in precious metals recycling instead of courting armageddon by allowing seabed mining to happen. “We are calling for a
Palau calls for halt on seabed mining until 2030
Palau President Surangel Whipps Junior said he wanted the seabed mining practice temporarily suspended until at least 2030. “The ocean for us is life. We depend on it for sustenance, we depend on it for our economy
Leader of International Seabed Mining Agency admonished by diplomats
Michael Lodge, the head of the United Nations-affiliated agency with jurisdiction over international ocean waters, has pushed diplomats to accelerate the start of industrial-scale mining at the bottom of the Pacific
