Representatives of 168 member states of the International Seabed Authority (ISA) will gather in Kingston, Jamaica, today to discuss a proposal to allow deep-sea mining. The meeting will continue until 28 July. The talks hosted by an intergovernmental body could open a rush to develop swaths of ocean floor until now given special protection as “the common heritage of mankind”.

The controversy was triggered in 2021 when the tiny Pacific Island of Nauru made a formal request to ISA- the UN body that oversees mining in international waters for a commercial license to begin deep-sea mining. Countries have been meeting regularly since to try and finalize the rules on environmental monitoring and sharing of royalties, but without success.

Last month, the European Academies Science Advisory Council warned of the “dire consequences” for marine ecosystems and against the “misleading narrative” that deep-sea mining is necessary for metals required to meet the transition to a low-carbon economy.

Germany, New Zealand, and Switzerland have called for a moratorium, while France supports an outright ban.

Mining companies say the ocean floor is potentially rich in metals like nickel and cobalt used in batteries for electric vehicles, so their extraction will support the global energy transition.

Environmental groups warn that the use of heavy machinery to extract "polymetallic nodules" from ocean floors could cause irreparable damage to marine ecosystems, destroying habitats, churning up sediment, and disrupting migratory routes.