New head of UN deep-sea mining watchdog vows to restore neutrality

[ad_1]

go through Steven WrightBernal News

Leticia Carvalho (L), Secretary-General-elect of the International Seabed Authority, is congratulated by members of the Cook Islands delegation after her election in Kingston, Jamaica, on August 2, 2024.
photo: Stephen Wright/BenarNews

In a tsunami of votes aimed at delivering on promises of “accountability and transparency” over deep-sea mining, nations on Friday elected a Brazilian scientist to replace the incumbent British lawyer as head of the little-known United Nations organization that manages the world’s ocean floor.

Sentiment for change has been fuelled by growing international opposition to the International Seabed Authority (ISA) giving companies the go-ahead to exploit the deep sea’s rich mineral resources before its environmental regulations are finalised.

In a rare vote among member states, Brazilian candidate Leticia Carvalho, a former oceanographer, defeated two-term president Michael Lodge, who was criticized for colluding with seabed mining companies. Lodge was not present when the result was announced.

“The margin of victory reflects the desire for change,” Carvalho told BenarNews. “I think transparency and accountability, broader participation, more attention to other sciences, closing knowledge gaps are key areas.”

While Lodge received the support of only 34 countries, Cavallo, currently a senior official at the United Nations Environment Programme and a former Brazilian oil industry regulator, received the support of 79 countries. Cavallo is also committed to restoring the neutrality of the secretary-general position.

The change in leadership at the Kingston-based ISA could hamper efforts to quickly develop seabed mining regulations that would pave the way for mining to begin in areas under its jurisdiction. Meanwhile, some countries are exploring the possibility of nodule mining in their territorial waters, which are outside the ISA’s oversight.

New head of UN deep-sea mining regulator vows to restore neutrality Leticia Carvalho (center), the secretary-general-elect of the International Seabed Authority, is congratulated by representatives of the International Seabed Authority after her election in Kingston, Jamaica, on August 2, 2024.
photo: Stephen Wright/BenarNews

As the world reduces its reliance on fossil fuels, golf ball-sized metal nodules scattered across the seabed have been touted as a source of rare earths and minerals needed for green technologies such as electric vehicles. Skeptics say such minerals are already abundant on land and warn that mining the seabed could cause irreparable damage to an environment that is still poorly understood by science.

Lodge was nominated for the third time for Kiribati, one of three Pacific island nations that is working with Nasdaq-listed The Metals Company to develop seabed minerals. More than 30 countries were disqualified from the secret ballot due to arrears in financial contributions to the ISA.

Hundreds of ISA convention delegates and other attendees lined up to hug Carvalho after she was elected, including Metals CEO Gerard Barron.

Leticia Carvalho (left), secretary-general-elect of the International Seabed Authority, poses with Gerard Barron, CEO of Metal Corporation, in Kingston, Jamaica, on August 2, 2024.
photo: Stephen Wright/BenarNews

After the vote, the company tweeted, “We appreciate her active engagement with our work and share her belief that regulatory action, rather than a moratorium, is the best way to fulfill the ISA’s responsibilities,” adding that they still hope to be the “first commercial operator in this promising industry.”

Greenpeace International campaigner Luisa Carson said she hoped Carvalho would work with governments to “change the course of the International Seabed Authority, which has for too long been driven by the narrow corporate interests of the deep-sea mining industry, so that it serves the public interest.”

At the International Seabed Authority’s annual assembly this week, more countries also called for a moratorium on mining until there is a better scientific and environmental understanding of its possible consequences.

Vanuatu’s Minister of Climate Change Ralph Regenvanu speaks during the annual meeting of the International Seabed Authority in Kingston, Jamaica, July 29, 2024.
photo: International Institute for Sustainable Development

Tuvalu is one of the latest countries to join calls for a moratorium on deep-sea mining, joining 10 of the 18 Pacific Islands Forum nations in opposing the immediate start of deep-sea mining.

Countries such as Vanuatu and Chile have also successfully promoted a general debate on environmental policy-making within the International Seabed Authority.

Pelenatita Petro-Kala, a Tongan activist who opposes deep-sea mining, said she hoped the new leadership would “give science more time to confirm new developments” such as alternative minerals for green technology, and for a more thorough dialogue on proposed mining rules.

Deep-sea mineral mining is particularly controversial in the Pacific, where some economically backward island nations see it as a potential windfall but many others strongly oppose it.

On July 31, 2024, members of the International Seabed Authority held a week-long annual meeting at its headquarters in Kingston, Jamaica
photo: International Institute for Sustainable Development

In June 2021, the island nation of Nauru notified the Seabed Authority of its intention to begin mining, triggering for the first time a two-year deadline for the authority’s member states to finalize regulations.

Its chairman, David Adeang, told the assembly earlier this week that the mining applications currently being prepared in conjunction with metal companies would allow the ISA to “make informed decisions based on real scientific data rather than emotion and speculation”.

[ad_2]

Source link