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Equity dilemmas on seabed mining in the Pacific

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February 7, 2022

With an increasing push for commercial-scale seabed mining in the Pacific region, the ever essential question of equity arises. Who is taking the real burden and who will reap the benefits of resource extraction? Scientists, including dr. Judith van Leeuwen from ENP, published an Opinion piece in Eco-Business discussing this equity dilemma on seabed mining.

"Seabed mining equity dilemmas in the pacific"

Read this Opinion article in Eco-Business (Published February 2, 2022)

Read the article

By Dr Aline Jaeckel, Associate Professor Quentin Hanich, Dr Harriet Harden-Davies, Dr Holly Niner, Katherine L. Seto, Dr Judith van Leeuwen, and Dr Michelle Voyer

Excerpt from the Opinion article

"What is currently hundreds of metres down below the ocean floor could soon be found in our electronics and on construction sites. The desire to explore the deep ocean for minerals, such as copper, cobalt, and manganese is not new, but only now are companies pushing for commercial-scale mining.

The regulatory body for deep sea mining, the International Seabed Authority (ISA), is under pressure to finalise international regulations by mid-2023 after the Pacific Island nation of Nauru pulled a so-called two-year trigger last year. The trigger means it intends to submit a mining plan and the ISA must have the necessary regulations in place to assess it by the time frame. Numerous issues must still be addressed before mining can get the green light."

Sources: Seabed mining equity dilemmas in the pacific (Feb 2, 2022) Eco-Business, https://www.eco-business.com/opinion/seabed-mining-equity-dilemmas-in-the-pacific/