'‘Terrifying’: WWF chief hits out at plans to mine the deep sea', 28 June 2022

The World Wildlife Fund’s chief warned on Tuesday that the potential impact of mining the deep sea could be “terrifying” and called for strict regulations to avoid yet another environmental disaster.

Deep-sea mining would involve using heavy machinery to suck up off the ocean floor potato-sized rocks or nodules that contain cobalt, manganese, and other rare metals mostly used in batteries...

“Have we not learned our lesson?” asked Marco Lambertini, WWF’s director general, referring to the environmental impacts of digging for minerals on land...

The International Seabed Authority (ISA), a UN body, is drawing up regulations governing seabed mining in the high seas – areas outside any national jurisdiction. Until global rules are in place, seabed mining is not allowed.

WWF has called for a global moratorium on all deep-sea mining activities...

WWF’s Lambertini also said it was “fundamental” that UN member states reach an agreement on a treaty to protect the open seas beyond national jurisdictions, which they failed to do in March this year.

“Today they are nobody’s waters and we need to turn the concept on its head,” he said,...“They need to become everybody’s waters.”