Approach Towards Deep-Sea Mining: Current Status and Future Prospects

The extent and protection of Australia’s deep sea

“…A world without these iconic parks seems unimaginable, but society has 'coped' without the mineral and petrochemical resources they still possess, instead prospering off their ecological function and the scientific advancement their presence provoked. Currently, direct effects on deep-sea environments include chemical contamination and plastic pollution (Jamieson et al 2017(Jamieson et al , 2019Blum et al 2020), and resource extraction where certain minerals are present (Childs 2022;Sharma 2022;Fig. 3).…”

Portugal and the Constitution for the Ocean: The united nations convention on the law of the sea 40 years later

“…Third, it is important to mention other international instruments that regulate the peaceful use of seas and oceans, such as (i) the Treaty Banning Nuclear Weapons Tests in the Atmosphere, in Outer Space and Under Water; 25 (ii) the Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America; 26 (iii) the Treaty on the Prohibition of the Emplacement of Nuclear Weapons and Other Weapons of Mass Destruction on the Seabed and the Ocean Floor and in the Subsoil Thereof; 27 (iv) the South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone Treaty; 28 and (v) the Treaty on the Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone. 29 It should be borne in mind that numerous multilateral international treaties related to the international law of the sea have emerged in recent decades, for example, in the areas of shipping, fisheries, and the protection and conservation of the marine environment, all of which are part of the progressive development of this branch of international law. The first area deals with the international treaties on navigation concluded under the auspices of the IMO.…”

“…28 While States continue to invoke non-geographic circumstances, both the ICJ and ITLOS have consistently found that they have no impact on the delimitation line. 29 Similarly, existing jurisprudence does not always do justice to the legal rights and interests of third parties in the context of maritime delimitation, an aspect that may require further fine-tuning in practice. 30 Second, thorny questions remain concerning the delimitation of the extended continental shelf.…”

“…27 In order to achieve this purpose and render an award that is "well founded in fact and law, " the arbitral tribunal specifically considered the Position Paper of China on the matter of Jurisdiction in the South China Sea Arbitration, 28 which it considered de facto preliminary objections, in addition to several communications from China to both the Philippines and the PCA, which served as registry during the proceedings. 29 Indeed, the arbitral tribunal made significant efforts throughout the proceedings to safeguard China's procedural rights. 30 The main In particular, the arbitral tribunal decided that [...] the Arbitral Tribunal considers that, in light of the circumstances and its duty to 'assure to each Party a full opportunity to be heard and to present its case, ' it is appropriate to bifurcate the proceedings and to convene a hearing to consider the matter of the Arbitral Tribunal's jurisdiction and, as necessary, the admissibility of the Philippines' submissions ("Hearing on Jurisdiction").…”

“…63. organisms dependent on calcium structures, such as shellfish, corals and crustaceans, to survive. 29 This is another way in which climate change is having devastating effects on our ocean and marine life. However, I am encouraged by increasing recognition of the relationship between the ocean and climate change.…”