Anti Deep Sea Mining coalition urges UN Secretary-General to back moratorium in open letter
The lobby group begs UN chief to use his voice at what it calls a critical juncture as deep sea mining becomes ever more imminent.
The coalition lobby that convinced 33 countries and a few global brands to back a moratorium against deep sea mining has, today, written an open letter to the UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, urging him to speak out.
Deep Sea Conservation Coalition, DSCC, published the letter a short while ago on its website.
In it, the conservationists said this is a critical juncture, as the United States prepares to issue the world's first commercial permit to mine the high seas.
The International Seabed Authority, ISA, is also on track to adopt deep sea mining regulations this year, opening the door for other countries to exploit the seabed for resources.
In today's letter, DSCC called the moment a test of global leadership for the UN Secretary-General and, presumably, the global governments it has been urging to join the pause:
"There is no guaranteed economic or social gain, and any potential profits are likely to be private, while the costs are expected to be vast and borne by the public for generations. This attempt demands a firm and concerted response from the international community. We cannot miss this moment to break the cycle of sacrificing public goods for corporate profit and short-term exploitation".
The Coalition called attention to the International Day for Biological Diversity being observed on Thursday this week and the upcoming UN Ocean Conference in Nice next month, whilst appealing to Gutteres to champion science and uphold international law and multilateralism:
"Your voice carries immense weight"
DSCC has been an outspoken observer at the ISA and credits its interventions so far with stopping the regulations from being adopted.
That success triggered a searing riposte from The Metals Company in March prior to its pivot towards the Americans, where the would-be miner accused the group of treating deep sea mining as its 'last green trophy' .
But in the letter to the UN leader today, DSCC condemned what it calls the business-as-usual extractive approach and insisted :
The science is clear: deep-sea mining would cause irreversible harm to marine biodiversity that has evolved over millions of years, disrupt carbon storage, and degrade ocean health. It would undermine the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and global commitments to stop and reverse the loss of nature by 2050.
The letter applauded Gutteres' leadership so far on climate and nature and said adding his voice to the calls for a pause would "signal that collective governance, not corporate overreach, will shape the future of our global commons".
The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework was adopted at COP 15 in 2022 and aims to restore lost biodiversity by 2050.
Although Deep Sea Conservation Coalition is against deep sea mining in principle, its appeal to the UN Secretary-General and governments is for a pause until "more robust science is obtained to ensure no loss of biodiversity and harm to the marine environment".
Read:
- Anti Deep Sea Mining Coalition makes urgent call for new members
- An alternative path for the International Seabed Authority? Ten conservationists re-imagine it
Elena
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