Seabed Mining Regulator Meets as Critical Minerals Drive Heats Up
Pressure is mounting to enact regulations for the extraction of EV battery metals from ocean ecosystems, which is increasingly enmeshed in the US-China rivalry.
A Greenpeace vessel arrives in Kingston, Jamaica, at the start of the International Seabed Authority meeting in 2023.
Photographer: Gladstone Taylor/Greenpeace InternationalA marine scientist has emerged as a new candidate to lead the International Seabed Authority. If elected, she could represent a shift in how the UN-affiliated organization that regulates deep sea mining operates. It’s a high-stakes year for the nascent industry, as pressure mounts on the ISA to finalize mining regulations and as more countries focus on shoring up their supply of critical minerals used to make electric vehicle batteries and other technologies
During a two-week meeting of the ISA’s policymaking Council that kicked off on Monday, Brazil’s delegate — speaking on behalf of 29 Latin American and Caribbean member nations — announced the candidacy of Brazilian oceanographer Leticia Carvalho for the position of secretary-general of the organization’s administrative arm, known as the Secretariat. The ISA’s 168 member nations and the European Union will decide on the next secretary-general at what is expected to be a pivotal meeting in July.