Deep Seabed Mining a Threat to Global Subsea Cable Network Safety, Environment

By Bob Wallace, Network Computing
July 12, 2024

A controversial global treaty which will enable signees to vote for rights to deep seabed mining, carries environmental, economic, geopolitical and telecommunications implications for the use of the sea floor.

Looking to open a subsea front for precious mineral access, 168 countries, including China, have signed onto the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) treaty, which allows for the division of the international seabed.

Crafting environmental rules

The United States, whose strong interest in the historic treaty, has not yet joined the global group. If the conservative Heritage Group continues blocking a senate approval over the terms of numerous presidents, the U.S. will not have a vote in crafting approving bids and environmental rules for seabed mining, leaving China as the power at the newly created International Seabed Authority.

 “We are conceding,” John Negroponte, a former National Intelligence director in the Bush administration, told CBS 60 Minutes. “If we're not at the table and we're not members of the Seabed Authority, we're not going to have a voice in writing the environmental guidelines for deep seabed mining. Well, who would you prefer to see writing those guidelines? The People's Republic of China or the United States of America?”

What is the buried treasure?

What is driving the U.N. Law of the Sea Treaty is access to the seabed to begin mining next year for vast amounts of minerals on and beneath the ocean floor. This will be handled by the International Seabed Authority (ISA), an autonomous international organization created under UNCLOS.

As of 18 May 2023, ISA has 169 members, including 168 member states and the European Union. Valued minerals can include rocks which include cobalt, copper, manganese, and nickel, according to the 60 Minutes report.

When and who?

No deep seabed mining operations have started anywhere in the world, according to the ISA. “Current exploration activities undertaken in the seabed area are aimed at gathering the necessary information on the location and quality of the seabed minerals and collecting all the necessary environmental information.”

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