Thérèse Coffey said the UK won’t be backing licenses in the interim while data on the effects of the emerging business is obtained.
Following criticism of its prior position in favor of the developing business from scientists, lawmakers, and environmentalists, Britain is now supporting a pause on commercial deep-sea mining.
The UK government declared on Monday that it would support a short-term moratorium on endorsing or funding new permits for the extraction of metals from the ocean floor until sufficient data from science was gathered to assess the effects on ecosystems.
Scientists alerted Prime Minister Rishi Sunak last month to the potential dire repercussions of permitting industrial-scale seabed exploitation, as it might affect marine life and the ocean’s capacity to absorb carbon dioxide, making it one of the planet’s largest carbon sinks.
The UK hasn’t backed a moratorium up until this point. Its decision to modify its mind adds it to the expanding list of at least 20 nations—including Brazil, France, Germany, Sweden, and Canada—who are urging a halt to the support of exploration licenses, at least temporarily, while they assess the environmental implications of seabed mining. Even automakers like BMW, Volvo, and Samsung, a manufacturer of car batteries, have made a commitment to refrain from using deep-sea minerals in their products.
In order to compile information and help close gaps in the body of knowledge regarding the effects of mining on the environment, Thérèse Coffey, the environment secretary, announced on Monday that a UK-based ecological science network on deep-sea mining will be established. It would “fully understand the consequences of deep-sea mining” by applying its scientific expertise.
The Labour party called on the government to support the growing calls in July for a precautionary halt to deep-sea mining “unless and until” there was conclusive scientific proof that it could be carried out safely and under new rules that safeguard the marine ecosystem.
The International Sea Bed Authority (ISA), a quasi-UN organization tasked with overseeing the sector in international waters, will open for new talks on Monday. It convened in July, but no choice was made regarding whether or not to permit production to proceed. Nonetheless, member nations decided to talk about a moratorium.
Two exploration licenses are in the UK government’s possession to retrieve metals from the Pacific Ocean seabed. It is one of the fourteen nations funding contracts for research or exploration.