The global demand for technology, innovation, and automation is growing by leaps and bounds, and so is the rush to supply the ever-evolving technology landscape with the raw materials that are needed to sustain that demand and speed. However, mother earth has finite resources, and human thirst for its development drive, produces unsustainable expectations on this planet’s resources and the vital ecosystems which keep our world afloat.
Today, minerals like cobalt, nickel, manganese, copper, and rare Earth metals are more valuable than ever. They are essential components of anything from micro-processors in your smartphones, rechargeable batteries for electric vehicles, to electrical wiring and a wide range of consumer goods which fill our homes and workplaces. The extraction of such minerals often involves deep-seabed mining. Such mining occurs often in uncharted territories where we know very little about risks, such extraction has on global ecosystems.
Deep-sea mining involves the extraction of scarce minerals over 200 metres deep and beyond. This comprises approximately two-thirds of the ocean floor. Although collecting minerals enables green technology and clean energy, the implications for the marine environment may be severe. The deep seabed comprises a range of geographies, including underwater volcanoes, mountain ranges, and abyssal plains. The area hosts an array of unique species adapted to harsh conditions, such as a lack of sunlight and high pressure. The reality is, that we know very little about the ecosystems and life at these depths, meaning they are unable to know the effects mining would have on its ecological functions.
Globally, environmentalists have sounded the alarm about deep-sea mining’s environmental impacts, and several transnational coalitions have heeded experts’ warnings as escalating calls for a deep-sea mining moratorium are underway. At the United Nations Ocean Conference – UNOC3, held in Nice, France this year, environmentalists and state officials from around the world gathered to discuss the impact of seabed mining on deep sea, and a collective call was made for a moratorium on seabed mining, until scientists had an opportunity to map and study the seabed well and gauge the impact mining would have on the world's oceans. It may surprise you to know that as of 2025, only 26-27% of the ocean floor has been mapped by modern standards with the data shared and publicly-available through the General Bathymetric Chart of the Oceans (GEBCO).
At Nice, where world leaders gathered to voice collective action about the oceans, a resounding message was expressed, that the world must first study, understand risks and opportunities before it begins to plunder our seabed – be it in territorial waters or in the high seas. As such, there has been a concerted call for a moratorium on seabed mining, until we know more about the seabed, its ecosystems and the impact which mining may have on them, and on us, down the line. However, some nations like the United States especially under Donald Trump administration have made arbitrary statements that they would not heed the processes of international law and will move to explore seabed mining. Globally, the International Seabed Authority (ISA) is recognised as the regulatory body for seabed matters.
Sri Lanka, during the UNOC3 stated: “The governance of seabed mining poses a growing challenge as interest in deep sea resources accelerates. Without strong safeguards, commercial exploitation and extraction risks irreversible harm to fragile marine ecosystems,” adding that “the duty to prevent significant harm to the environment is an obligation to act with due diligence”. Sri Lanka’s future is intertwined with that of the oceans, both near and far, as the oceans and their ecosystems know – no boundaries made by man.
The island nation recently became one of the founding signatories of the new high seas’ treaty, the BBNJ, for which the State is currently developing local legislative instruments. Sri Lanka has reiterated its commitment to the ISA and continues to support its role and function. As an island nation, Sri Lanka believes in raising awareness of the deep seabed, its resources and benefits, are first steps in ensuring equitable access to ocean resources, protection of marine biodiversity, and the sharing of benefits.
As a signatory to the Law of the Sea and BBNJ, the island also contributes to strengthening the transparency and integrity of multilateral processes involved in the exercise, and building trust – regarding the sustainable use of ocean resources, and the protection of the seabed, which is of particular importance in the face of unilateral actions.