French MPs call for an international moratorium on the exploitation of the seabed
Shrimps around a smoker in the seabed (Illustrative image).
Ifremer-Victor/Serpentine Campaign 2007
Text by: RFI Follow
2 mins
The National Assembly adopted Tuesday, January 17 by a very large majority a resolution calling for a moratorium on deep seabed mining.
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With 215 votes in favor and 56 against, the National Assembly calls on the French government to defend a moratorium on deep seabed mining in a rare moment of harmony.
Copper, nickel, manganese, they contain certainly precious resources, but their exploitation would be at the cost of heavy environmental consequences.
► To read also: The deep seabed, a strategic environment to preserve
The text supports, "
within the framework of a moratorium, the prohibition of the mining of the seabed in the high seas until it has not been demonstrated by independent scientific groups and in a certain manner that this extractive activity can be undertaken without degrading marine ecosystems and without loss of marine biodiversity
”.
Pending this demonstration, the deputies demand that France “
block the adoption of any regulation for the mining of the seabed
” by the International Seabed Authority (AIFM), “
as well as the granting of provisional licenses for 'exploitation
'.
Take a stand internationally
The deputies therefore enjoin the executive to take a position, at the international level.
France has already come out against this practice, which it refuses, but many countries look at these marine resources with envy.
The idea is therefore for Paris to act to block any international regulations authorizing deep-sea mining.
The second largest maritime nation in the world, France indeed has a certain weight in the current negotiations on the subject.
The AIFM, the body that has the power to issue future exploitation permits
, will begin to do so as soon as the development of an appropriate mining code is completed, which is planned for the month of July.
Unless a mobilization of enough States, carried by France, manages to impose a moratorium.
The deep seabed, which absorbs large quantities of carbon dioxide, arouses covetousness, because of the deposits of rare metals they shelter, used in industrial and electronic applications.
Negotiations are underway within the AIFM to pave the way for future operating licenses.
But conservationists are concerned about the risks to ecosystems and vulnerable species in these areas.
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