UK makes U-turn over deep-sea mining moratorium

The government has expressed its support for a moratorium on granting exploitation licences for deep-sea mining.

The UK has changed its position on deep-sea mining, deciding to add its name to the list of countries calling for a moratorium on new mining licences proposed by the International Seabed Authority (ISA).

Deep-sea mining is a highly controversial activity that seeks to obtain minerals such as lithium, copper and cobalt from the ocean floor. Despite the importance of securing these minerals to power green technologies, environmentalists have warned of the “catastrophic” impact that deep-sea mining could have on the world’s marine ecosystems.

“Deep-sea mining poses an existential threat to some of the most vulnerable, least explored habitats on the planet,” said Clare Brooke, chief executive of the Blue Marine Foundation. “It is vital that we exercise the precautionary principle and find ways of producing minerals necessary for the transition to net zero so as not to cause catastrophic and permanent destruction of fragile ocean biodiversity.”

Although it initially expressed support for deep-sea mining, the government has now revealed it would back a moratorium until more scientific evidence is found regarding its impact. To achieve this, the government has pledged to establish a new UK-based network of experts to collect further scientific data.

Environment secretary Thérèse Coffey said the UK 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”.

The announcement comes just days before the ISA is set to debate the moratorium, and one month before the start of the COP28 climate talks.

“The UK government’s change of heart on deep-sea mining shows the tide is turning against this destructive industry, threatening some of the world’s last undisturbed habitats,” said Fiona Nicholls, Greenpeace’s UK ocean campaigner.

The UK government currently holds two exploration licences to extract metals from the floor of the Pacific Ocean. With this decision, the UK joins countries including Germany, France, Chile and Vanuatu, which have backed the proposal to pause the granting of deep-sea mining licences.

In May, a mineral-rich region in the Pacific Ocean that has already been assigned to companies for future deep-sea mining was found to host thousands of species entirely new to science.

Last year, E+T published an article exploring the environmental impact of deep-sea mining.

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