Deep sea mining moratorium backed by UK but some campaigners demand full ban

The UK will support a moratorium on deep sea mining until there is sufficient regulation and scientific evidence of its impacts, the Government has said.

It joins more than 20 other countries including Chile, France, Germany, Spain, New Zealand and Canada that have already called for either a full ban, moratorium or precautionary pause on the practice.

Hundreds of scientists have spoken out against its destructive potential and companies such as BMW, Google, Samsung, Volkswagen and Volvo have said they will exclude minerals from deep sea mining from their supply chains.

The International Seabed Authority, which has granted exploration licences but not yet given its permission for anyone to begin extracting, said it is trying to balance competing interests between those who want to exploit deep sea minerals for the renewable transition and those concerned about the environmental impacts.

“That is why we will use our scientific expertise to fully understand the impact of deep sea mining on precious ecosystems; and in the meantime, we will not support or sponsor any exploitation licences.

“This work will go alongside our wider efforts to conserve and enhance precious marine habitats around the world.”

The UK Government is not backing a full ban, as environmental groups are calling for, but said it will provide scientific expertise to investigate the effects of extraction on wildlife and ecosystems.

It said it will withhold its support for exploitation licences until this has been developed alongside a robust set of regulations and guidelines.

Demand for these is increasing and mining companies see the ocean bed as a new frontier that could fuel the renewable transition.

These deep sea areas however are among the least understood on the planet ecologically, with scientists from the Natural History Museum estimating that in the CCZ alone there could be between 6,000-8,000 species yet to be described.

France is the only country to support a complete ban, an option that Greenpeace is also pushing for.

The NGO’s oceans campaigner Fiona Nicholls said: “Within just a few years, Britain has gone from proudly sponsoring deep-sea mining licences to backing a moratorium on them, showing that people-powered campaigns can win the argument against corporate exploitation.

“With this move, the UK Government has clawed back some credibility as a global ocean champion.

“But if Rishi Sunak wants to maintain it, he needs to work with other governments to agree a full ban, announce concrete plans to ratify the historic Global Ocean Treaty in the King’s Speech, and completely rethink his stance on fossil fuel expansion.

“The climate crisis is one of the biggest threats to marine life, and more oil and gas drilling will only make it worse.”