Depths in the depths of the seas need organizational regulations

Figure in the depths of the seas as a sophisticated domain has emerged quickly in extracting global resources, driven by the increasing demand for the basic minerals of green technologies.

Minerals such as nickel, cobalt and rare ground elements are vital for industries, such as the production of electric vehicles and solar panels.

The United States has recently made a long way to enhance its role in the global mining industry, by issuing an executive matter aimed at accelerating the issuance of mining permits in the depths of the seas.

This is due to the increasing demand for the basic minerals needed to support green technologies, however this raises complex questions about governance, international legal frameworks, and commitment to global principles.

Gaps

While the United States is aware of its potential leadership in the field of “responsible” minerals at the bottom of the seas, and seeks to be a partner for countries that have evolved the exploitation of their mineral resources at the bottom of the seas, it is also obligated to adhere to the international laws in force.

Although America has not yet ratified the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, its actions are still influenced by the principles of the agreement, especially those related to the resources of the common ocean.

Critics argue that unilateral procedures, such as those mentioned in the executive order, may undermine international cooperation and the structure of the governance provided by the International Sea Football Authority.

The International Sea Football Authority, in charge of regulating mining in the depths of the seas under the United Nations Agreement on the Law of the Sea, has not completed the development of comprehensive regulations, which led to gaps in censorship. This deficiency in implementable standards means that mining may occur in environmental sensitive areas without the necessary protection, which exacerbates the risks on marine biological diversity.

Fragile systems

The ecosystem of the depths of the seas is still one of the most mysterious ecosystems, and the most fragile on earth, it includes vast and unexplored citizen, such as the essential plains, water thermal openings, and marine mountains, which are essential elements for the health of the planet’s oceans.

Unfortunately, mining activities in these areas threaten unique types of marine organisms in the depths of the seas, especially those that live in the gatherings of water heat and coral reefs in cold water.

These mining activities are multiple risks to biological diversity, including irreversible losses and recovery processes that may take decades, if not more.

The problems caused by mining operations can also disrupt marine food chains and affect food security, as environmental systems contribute to the depths of the seas in the carbon cycle and the distribution of nutrients, which are essential for marine life.

Moreover, mining activities are often implemented without comprehensive assessments of the environmental impact, and the International Sea Football Authority has not completed after the implemented regulations for sustainable mining in the depths of the seas, and this organizational gap means that mining projects can move forward with the minimum control, which exacerbates the risks on fragile marine environmental systems.

Checking operations

In addition to environmental concerns, mining in the depths of the seas raises important ethical issues, and private companies must be held accountable for damage to the aquatic environment through assessments of effectable impact and independent audits by external parties, with transparent and traceable environmental monitoring, so governments should strictly guarantee the disclosure of these companies publicly from all environmental risks and plans to mitigate them and strategies and strategies Treatment.

The extraction of minerals in international waters is a challenge to the principle of the “common heritage of humanity” stipulated in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which confirms that the ocean resources should benefit all humanity, and not only for certain countries or companies.

Many mining sites are located in the depths of the seas outside the national judicial jurisdiction, and are often on the high seas, which increases the complexity of moral debate.

The exploitation of these resources to achieve national or institutional gains, without the participation of affected societies, is a controversial matter. For example, the Pacific Islands and other coastal societies that depend on sound environmental systems may lose their livelihood not only their resources, but also their cultural and economic independence due to mining activities.

Balanced approach

The call to a balanced and regulatory approach to mining in the depths of the seas is necessary to reconcile the protection of the environment and economic needs. While the official suspension of mining may be important to develop a mechanism for resource extraction responsible, it is also necessary to apply clear and implemented regulations that allow the sector to develop without causing irreversible harm to the environment.

Emerging technologies, such as underwater self -driving vehicles and fine mining techniques, provide the ability to reduce the environmental impact of mining in the depths of the seas by reducing the disorder that may occur on the natural citizen, and in addition to this is the development of scientific research to understand the environmental risks of these activities better vital to taking data based on data and adopting effective strategies to mitigate side effects. About National Interest

---

Treasures underwater

Expatriates have always dreamed of extracting the depths of the seas since the 1970s, when the British scientific ship “HMC Challenger” brought with it rocks rich in minerals on its journey around the world.

The first commercial attempt to exploit these wealth failed, after a century of the British ship’s flight. In 1980, an American company raised 60,000 rocks from the sea bottom off the coast of Charleston, South Carolina, and then threw mostly into the sea because it did not contain enough minerals.

Today, mining in the depths of the seas – prohibited in international waters since 1982 – is supported by the Trump administration, and ocean scientists are racing to determine whether marine life is able to coexist with the machines that sweep their home in search of underwater treasures.

The goal of states and companies is to extract rocks that contain cobalt, nickel, copper and manganese, which are elements used in electric car batteries, smartphones, medical devices and artificial intelligence devices.

There are rocks that contain minerals of different sizes, in vast areas of the sea floor called the essential plains, and the Clarion-Cleepron, located between Hawaii and Mexico, is the most valuable area, with an area of ​​1.7 million square miles.

Other mineral deposits, known as multi -minerals, are gathered around the heat thermal openings, which are the cracks of the water disposal from the hot thermal hot points, while there are scales rich in cobalt on the underwater sea mountains in shallow waters. The evaluation of these minerals is difficult due to the lack of knowledge of the cost of extracting them to the surface and the fluctuation of market prices. An analysis conducted by Arthur de Little in 2024 estimated the potential commercial value of minerals under the sea at 20 trillion dollars. The prohibited areas in the ocean where minerals are home to a variety of marine life, most of which are slow -moving small objects that have evolved to get most of their food from dead animals and plankton that fall from the top.