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Experts urge caution on deep-sea mining, citing ecosystem risks and governance gaps
Summary
Speakers at an International Science Council session at the UN Ocean Conference warned that deep-sea mining could cause widespread, potentially irreversible harm across ocean depths, and said fragmented international governance and 'rogue' national or corporate actions threaten accountability.
Lyanna Kash, communication officer with the International Science Council, opened a session at the UN Ocean Conference in Nice that focused on emerging ocean technologies and their governance, including deep-sea mining and marine carbon dioxide removal. "One that's of great concern is deep sea mining," said Dr. Elisha Aud Khalip, a lecturer in ecosystem governance and policy at the University of Melbourne.
Dr. Elisha Aud Khalip said the machinery proposed for seafloor mining would disturb metallic nodules and create sediment plumes, removing organisms from the seabed and dispersing material through the water column. "If you think about going along the seafloor with a lawn mower, [it] churns up the…
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