Brazil calls for a 10-year pause on deep-sea mining

Brazil requested a precautionary pause of 10 years to the mining marine in international waters. The request was published just days after companies and countries were allowed to start applying for provisional licences.

It was during a meeting organized by the International Seabed Authority that a Jamaica-based United Nations regulatory agency failed to approve a set of rules and regulations to govern the deep sea mining before the deadline expired on July 9.

The agency has not issued any provisional licenses or received applications, although the Nauru government is expected to apply for a license soon through the Canadian company Metals Co.

The government of that small Pacific island declared on Friday that it wants to diversify its “limited economic base” but promised it would not sponsor any applications during the meeting of the UNwhich ends on July 21.

Nauru noted that its “good faith decision” does not mean that the authorities withdraw their plan to continue the mining of the seabed.

“We are no longer in a ‘what if’ scenario, but a ‘what do we do now’ scenario”, said Margo Deiye, Nauru’s permanent representative to the International Seabed Authority.

A growing number of countries and companies, including BMW and Volvo, support a moratorium on deep-sea mining, warning that deep-sea mining of precious metals used in electric car batteries and other green technologies could cause damage to the environment.

The representative of Brazil Before the International Seabed Authority, Elza Moreira Marcelino de Castro, declared that his country supports a precautionary pause for at least a decade.

“Priority should be given to the protection of international seabeds until conclusive and exhaustive studies are available”he declared.

Scientists have warned that deep-sea mining could trigger dust storms and cause light and noise pollution, noting that minerals that grow at such depths take millions of years to form. Companies, however, have said deep-sea mining is cheaper and less impactful than land-based mining, while some countries have said it would allow them to grow and diversify their economies.

On Friday, several council members insisted that more scientific studies be done before any licenses are granted.

“Exploitation should not start until it can be guaranteed that there will be no loss to biodiversity,” said Siddharth Shekhar Yadav, representative of Vanuatu.

The agency of the UN has issued more than 30 exploration licenses. Most of the activity is centered in the Clarion-Clipperton zone, which covers 4.5 million square kilometers (1.7 million square miles) between Hawaii and Mexico. Exploration takes place at depths between 4,000 and 6,000 meters (13,000 and 19,000 feet).

The UN agency’s 36-member council is working on a proposed framework that would regulate the possible mining of the seabed, but it is not clear when it will be ready.

“Exploitation in the area should not be carried out in the absence of rules, regulations and procedures”, said Gina Guillén, representative of Costa Rica, in a statement that represented the position of more than a dozen countries.

The representative of Australia stated on Friday that it was clear that the draft rules would not be ready before the end of the meeting or the next one, scheduled for October and November.