The Future of Mining: The Exploitation of Marine Geological Resources as Global Commons

Abstract

The increasing demand for minerals and metals by society, together with the depletion of land resources, has generated a peaked interest in marine mineral exploitation. For a global commons such as the oceans, the International Seabed Authority is mandated under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea to organize, regulate and control all mineral-related activities in the international seabed area for the benefit of mankind as a whole. Under the auspices of the International Seabed Authority (ISA), projects exploring seabed mineral resources in the seabed and ocean floor and subsoil thereof, beyond the limits of national jurisdiction, named ‘the Area’, began in 2001. From then to the present, more and more countries have become involved in such projects. The interest in seabed exploration lies in the extraction of Ni–Cu–Mn from polymetallic nodules, Co–Ni–Mn from ferromanganese crusts, and Cu–Zn–Au–Ag from polymetallic sulphides. Research developed in the last ten years has additionally demonstrated the existence of rare metals and rare earths as possible by-products of the extraction of the main metals of interest. The future exploitation of these metals has implications related to industrial and high-technology purposes, and is also closely linked to the development of renewable energies that enable us to face climate change, secure energy supplies, and promote sustainability and economic competitiveness. Currently, the Legal and Technical Commission of the ISA is finalizing the Regulations for the Exploitation of Mineral Resources in the Area, which will mark the starting signal of deep-sea mining.