There’s a growing interest in mining the ocean seabed for minerals essential to technology. But whose minerals are they? A Law of the Sea scholar explains.
Articles on International Seabed Authority
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Critical minerals are found in several forms in the ocean, from potato-size nodules to brine pools. They are also in some of the least understood parts of our planet.
Commercial mining of the deep sea could begin soon. But these metals and minerals are not scarce. Mining will be harmful and the economic benefits are overstated.
Whether the government approves two seabed mining applications or chooses a precautionary approach, the stakes are high and other Pacific nations will be watching.
Current regulations governing deep-sea mining are not enough to protect the ocean.
Access to fossil fuels drove the definition of nations’ sovereignty over submarine continental extensions. Now we need an agreement about how we use mineral resources on the ocean floor.
A new database documents 16,000 proteins from deep-sea organisms that could yield new inventions.
Mining nodules from the deep ocean seabed could provide the metals crucial for today’s EV batteries and renewable energy technology, but little is known about the harm it could cause.
Contracts for exploring the deep sea are due to expire before a safe mining code can be agreed.
Companies are eager to mine the deep ocean for valuable mineral deposits. But scientists are concerned about impacts on sea life, including creatures that haven’t even been discovered yet.
US and international law conflicts about who would be in charge if a private company established a Moon base or colonized Mars.
A massive new discovery this summer of miles of corals in deep waters off South Carolina shows how much we have yet to learn about life on the ocean floor.
Top contributors
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Professor of Business Law and Ethics, Indiana University
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Associate Professor of Marine Affairs, University of Rhode Island
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Assistant Professor of Maritime Policy, Texas A&M University
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Professor of Comparative and Plural law, Newcastle University
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Professor of Law, Indiana University
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Associate Professor of Environmental Studies, Franklin & Marshall College
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Professor of Environmental and Energy Policy, Indiana University
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Associate Professor of International Studies, Indiana University
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Associate Professor in Ocean Stewardship, Stockholm University
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Researcher in Marine Governance, Stockholm University
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Professor of tectonics and geophysics, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington
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Postdoctoral Fellow, University of British Columbia
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Senior Lecturer in Law, Auckland University of Technology
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Director of the Mississippi Mineral Resources Institute and Center for Marine Resources and Environmental Technology, University of Mississippi
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Associate Professor / Senior Lecturer in Global Environmental Politics, The University of Melbourne