- relevant
- permissions given by Intl. Seabed Authority under UNCLOS
- Indian: Deep Ocean Mission 2021
Extracting mineral deposits (PMN & PMS) from ocean floor
- Legal framework: UNCLOS Part XI - declares intl seabed area & its mineral as common heritage of mankind, administered by Intl. Seabed Authority
- for India, strengthens Blue Economy
India’s operation
- holds 3 ISA contracts
- Under Deep Ocean Mission 2021, developing underwater robotics, MATSYA 6000, & NIOT tested crawler based seabed mining at 5700m depth
Tech capability vs ecological permission
- ability to mine deep sea justify exploration at cost of fragile ecosystems
- deep sea ecosystems recover extremely slowly effectively irreversible damage
- critical mineral demand first addressed through recycling, circular use, substitution before mining
- deep sea mining transfers ecological costs of consumption from land to poorly unedrstood ocean ecosystems
Challenges w/ Deep Sea Exploration
- irreversible benthic habitat destruction - PMN provide sole hard substrate for specialized abyssal organisms
- Sediment plumes, water column disruption, smothers marine life
- scientists demanding moratorium on deep sea mining
- ISA yet to create binding mining code
- scientific gaps in baseline understanding
- noise, vibration & light pollution
Way ahead
- decouple exploration from exploitation
- establish rigorous ecological no touch zones eg. Marine Protected Areas
- Prioritize circular economy, urban mining
- National Critical Mineral Mission 2025 - EoL battery recycling
- Mission LiFE - metallurgical substitution
- champion deep sea env governance at ISA
- design non destructive marine tech - NIOT
Rather than viewing ocean floor merely as extractive reserve, we should champion model of valuing marine biodiversity as natural natural capital.