The impacts of deep seabed mining on people have not been sufficiently researched or addressed. Using a legitimacy framework, an article in Nature (Jaeckel, A., Harden-Davies, H., Amon, D.J. et al. Deep seabed mining lacks social legitimacy. npj Ocean Sustain 2, 1 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s44183-023-00009-7 ) discusses the social-equity dimensions of this emerging industry in the ocean commons.
The technology to mine the ocean floor for valuable minerals such as copper, nickel, and cobalt is currently being developed. Scientists have warned repeatedly about potentially serious and irreversible environmental impacts from deep seabed mining (DSM), including but not limited to: removal and destruction of sensitive and poorly known seafloor habitats and species; metal-contaminated and fine-particle sediment plumes that can impact benthic and pelagic fauna; changes to water properties; and increases in noise and light. What remains to be substantially debated are the social impacts of DSM.
After years of exploration, some companies are now pushing to begin commercial mining of the deep seabed. The International Seabed Authority (ISA), the institution responsible for regulating mining on the international seabed, is now under pressure to finalise regulations by mid-2023. This comes after Nauru triggered the so-called “two-year rule” in 2021, which calls on the ISA to finalise regulations within two years.
Despite this rush, the social legitimacy of DSM is compromised4. Not only have major brands rejected deep-sea minerals, but there are also growing calls for a moratorium on DSM, including from the Alliance of Countries for a Deep-Sea Mining Moratorium, which was launched at the 2022 UN Ocean Conference. Given this opposition, there is a risk that seabed minerals will encounter consumer boycotts if the industry does not accord with societal norms and beliefs. This in turn may jeopardise investments by DSM companies and may ultimately lead to a rejection of DSM altogether.
Poignant examples include Nautilus Minerals’ failed DSM project in Papua New Guinea, which encountered financial challenges as well as public rejection8,9, and early attempts to regulate and allow mineral mining in the Antarctic, which ultimately resulted in a mining moratorium (1991 Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty, Article 7).