Nations gather to negotiate deep sea mining code as opposition mounts ( www.reuters.com )
SINGAPORE, July 15 (Reuters) - The United Nations' International Seabed Authority (ISA) will meet on Monday to consider new rules allowing firms to extract minerals from the ocean floor, despite mounting concerns about the economic and environmental risks.
Supporters say deep sea mining will help boost supplies of raw materials like cobalt and nickel, which are needed for the global energy transition, but critics say it could destroy ecosystems and disrupt migratory routes.
As many as 27 countries are calling for at least a temporary halt of activities, and Hawaii last week became the fourth Pacific U.S. state to issue a comprehensive ban.
Meeting in Kingston, Jamaica, until July 26, the 36-member ISA council will negotiate the latest draft of a long-awaited "mining code", designed to regulate the exploration and extraction of "polymetallic nodules" and other deposits on the ocean floor.
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