- UK announces support for moratorium on granting of
exploitation licences for deep sea mining by the International
Seabed Authority.
- New scientific expert network on deep sea mining will
champion UK expertise in environmental sciences.
- Announcement strengthens UK's position as a global leader on
the marine environment.
The UK government has today announced its support for measures
designed to protect the world’s ocean and improve the
conservation of marine biodiversity.
Ahead of International Seabed Authority (ISA) negotiations
starting today, and a month ahead of COP28, the UK government has
announced its support for a moratorium on the granting of
exploitation licences for deep sea mining projects – which
involve the extraction of minerals such as precious metals,
copper and cobalt – by the ISA.
This means the UK will not sponsor or support the issuing of any
such licences until sufficient scientific evidence is available
to assess the potential impact of deep sea mining activities on
marine ecosystems and strong, enforceable environmental
regulations, standards and guidelines have been developed and
adopted by the ISA.
The UK is an international advocate for the highest possible
environmental standards and has been pushing the ISA to develop
strong and enforceable environmental regulations, standards and
guidelines on deep sea mining.
To support this, a new UK-based environmental science expert
network on deep sea mining will be launched to gather scientific
data and increase the effective use of the UK’s world-class
research through cross-disciplinary learning. This will build on
the independent evidence review on deep sea mining carried out
by independent experts following a government
commission in 2022.
The network will bring together the UK’s environmental science
expertise to help fill the current evidence gaps on the
environmental impact of deep sea mining and share
internationally.
Environment Secretary Thérèse Coffey
said:
“The UK is a global leader when it comes to protecting the marine
environment. 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 , Minister of State (Development and
Africa) said:
“The UK is an international advocate for the highest possible
environmental standards and we will keep pushing for strong and
enforceable regulations, standards and guidelines for deep-sea
mining. Until we fully understand the impact of deep-sea mining
on our marine ecosystems, it is right that we seek to protect
them.”
Clare Brook, CEO of Blue Marine Foundation,
said:
“Deep-sea mining threatens some of the rarest and most vulnerable
ecosystems on Earth. Blue Marine is therefore delighted to see
the UK supporting a moratorium on deep-sea mining, along with
other leading economies such as Germany, France and Sweden.
“There are cheaper, cleaner and more secure ways of producing
minerals as the world transitions to net zero without causing the
catastrophic and permanent destruction of fragile ocean life.
“Blue Marine welcomes the Government’s proposal to convene a UK
scientific expert group on deep-sea mining, which would underline
the UK’s position as a leading voice in ocean conservation.”
The measures set out today further demonstrate the UK’s
commitment towards ocean conservation and protection.
Over recent years, the UK has:
- Committed to protecting at least 30% of the global ocean by
2030 through a network of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and Other
Effective Area-based Conservation Measures (OECMs), and driven
this forward through UK-chaired Global Ocean
Alliance
- Supported developing countries to protect the marine
environment through projects to protect and restore habitats such
as mangroves, coral reefs and seagrasses through the £500 million
Blue Planet Fund
- Tackled the scourge of plastic pollution, recently consulting
on a ban on wet wipes containing plastic, as part of efforts to
eliminate all avoidable plastic waste by 2042
- Designated the first three Highly Protected Marine areas in
English waters, enabling nature to fully recover by removing all
harmful activities including fishing, construction and dredging,
increasing marine biodiversity and supporting climate-resilient
ecosystems to thrive
- Created a network of 178 marine protected areas across 35,000
square miles of English waters, with a commitments for 70% of
designated features to be in a favourable position by 2042
This action will support the delivery of targets in the UK’s
Environment Act, underpinned by its Environment Improvement Plan
– the five-year blueprint for action to halt and reverse the
decline of nature.
