The International Seabed Authority is on track to approve a “regulatory roadmap” in 2025 for deep-sea mineral extraction, the United Nation agency’s secretary-general promised Thursday.
Speaking on the eve of the agency’s 29th conference and general assembly in Jamaica, ISA chief Michael Lodge acknowledged intense political pressure being placed on the authority for the agreement, which has far-ranging implications for the development of a wide range of high-tech industries, ranging from renewable energy to telecommunications.
“The mantra of the council from the beginning has been nothing is agreed until everything is agreed, so in that sense it’s a huge package,” Lodge said. “But within that package I see a lot of progress on individual regulations that [are in] the spirit of moving forward.”
For two weeks beginning July 15, three dozen ISA council members and delegates from 168 member states and the European Union will hash out concerns about extracting minerals such as cobalt, nickel and manganese from mostly pristine ocean bottoms.
