German government calls for "precautionary pause" and more intensive research into environmental impacts
As part of the negotiations on mining regulations for future deep-sea mining, which took place at the Council of the International Seabed Authority in Kingston (Jamaica) from 31 October to 11 November 2022, the German government called for a precautionary pause in deep-sea mining. The German government also declared that it would not support any applications for commercial mining of raw materials in the deep sea until further notice. Existing knowledge and the state of research are not sufficient to rule out serious environmental damage, known as "serious harm" in maritime law, caused by deep-sea mining.
The KDM Marine Mineral Resources Strategy Group also refers to the various perspectives that need to be taken into account when assessing potential future deep-sea mining.
Further information on this topic can be found in the links below:
- Joint press release by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate and the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection
Protecting the oceans: Germany will not support deep-sea mining until further notice (on the BMWK website)
Protecting the oceans: Germany will not support deep-sea mining until further notice (on the BMUV website)
- MARE:N Research needs for the sustainable use of marine resources: Link
- DAM mission proposal on marine resources: Link
- European research project on the environmental impact of deep-sea mining: MiningImpact