Deep Sea Mining
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to prevent deep sea mining.
Answered by Anneliese Dodds
This Government supports a moratorium on the granting of exploitation licences for deep sea mining projects by the International Seabed Authority (ISA). The UK recognises the impacts of deep sea mining are not fully understood and supports a moratorium on the granting of mining licences by the ISA until sufficient scientific evidence is available to assess the potential impact of deep-sea mining activities on marine ecosystems, and strong, enforceable environmental regulations, standards and guidelines are adopted by the ISA.
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