If the government doesn’t develop regulations governing deep-sea mining by the July 2023 deadline, companies could start exploiting the sea bed without legal restrictions.
environment
December 31, 2022
The Metals Company’s drillship Hidden Gem has been modified to collect nodules from the deep sea Jochen Tuck/Alamy
For decades, governments and companies have kept a keen eye on the mineral wealth buried in the deep sea, but the regulatory vacuum governing undersea mining has ruled out prospective miners.
In 2023, all that is set to change as the government faces a July deadline to agree regulations governing deep-sea mining. Otherwise, there is a risk that mining companies will start working on the seabed without any rules.
Under the United Nations regulatory authority, international…
