New UN deep-sea mining regulator chief promises to restore neutrality

By Stephen WrightBenar News

Promises of “accountability and transparency” in deep-sea mining led to a tsunami of votes among nations on Friday to elect a Brazilian scientist to succeed a British lawyer as head of a little-known U.N. body that regulates seabed issues.

Growing international opposition to the prospect of the International Seabed Authority (ISA) approving the exploitation of vast deep ocean mineral resources by corporations before environmental regulations are finalised has fuelled growing sentiment for change.

In a rare vote by member states, Brazil’s candidate, former oceanographer Leticia Carvalho, defeated two-term incumbent Michael Lodge, who has been criticized for his links to seabed mining companies. Lodge was not present when the result was announced.

“The winning margin reflects the appetite for change,” Carvalho told BenarNews. “I see that transparency and accountability, broader participation, a greater focus on additional learning, closing knowledge gaps are priority areas.”

Lodge had the support of only 34 countries, while Carvahlo, who also campaigned to restore neutrality to the position of secretary-general, had the support of 79 countries. She is now a senior official at the UN Environment Programme and a former oil regulator in Brazil.

The change in leadership at the Kingston-based ISA is a possible setback for efforts to quickly finalize offshore mining regulations that would pave the way for operations to begin in areas under its jurisdiction. Some countries, meanwhile, are exploring the possibility of mining the nodules in their territorial waters, which are outside ISA’s purview.

Mining the golf-ball-sized metallic nuggets that litter strips of the seabed is being touted as a source of rare earths and minerals needed for green technologies like electric vehicles as the world reduces its reliance on fossil fuels. Skeptics say such minerals are already abundant on land and warn that seabed mining could cause irreversible damage to an environment still poorly understood by science.

Lodge was nominated for a third term by Kiribati, which is one of three Pacific islands working with Nasdaq-listed The Metals Company on plans to exploit seabed minerals. More than 30 countries were barred from voting in a secret ballot because their financial contributions to the ISA are in arrears.

Hundreds of delegates and other ISA assembly attendees lined up to hug Carvalho after her election, including Gerard Barron, CEO of The Metals Company.

Following the vote, the company tweeted: “We appreciate her proactive engagement and share her belief that the adoption of regulation, rather than a moratorium, is the best way to fulfill the ISA’s mandate,” adding that they still hope to become “the first commercial operator in this promising industry.”

Greenpeace International campaigner Louisa Casson said she hoped Carvalho would work with governments “to change the course of the ISA to serve the public interest, as it has been driven for too long by the narrow corporate interests of the deep-sea mining industry.”

At the ISA Annual Meeting this week, more countries joined calls for a moratorium on mining activities until scientists and the environment better understand their likely impacts.

Tuvalu is one of the latest countries to join the movement demanding a moratorium, citing 10 members of the 18-nation Pacific Islands Forum currently opposing any imminent start of deep-sea mining.

Countries such as Vanuatu and Chile have also managed to force the ISA into a widespread debate on establishing environmental policies.

Pelenatita Petelo Kara, a Tongan activist who campaigns against deep-sea mining, said she hoped the new leadership would provide “more time for science to confirm new developments” such as alternative minerals to green technologies, as well as enable a more detailed dialogue on proposed mining regulations.

Deep-sea mineral extraction is particularly controversial in the Pacific, where some economically backward island nations see it as a potential source of income, but many other island nations are staunchly opposed.

In June 2021, the island nation of Nauru notified the Seabed Authority of its intention to begin mining, starting the clock for the first time in the two-year period in which the authority’s member states had to finalise the regulations.

Its chairman David Adeang told the gathering earlier this week that the mining application, which is currently being prepared in partnership with The Metals Company, would allow the ISA to make an “informed decision based on real scientific data rather than emotion and guesswork”.

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