Request for Presidential support of a moratorium on deep seabed mining

A coalition of organizations urges the U.S. government to oppose deep seabed mining, citing grave risks to biodiversity, carbon sequestration, and the rights of Pacific Indigenous communities. The authors call for a moratorium on mining in the U.S. EEZ and international waters, arguing that the International Seabed Authority (ISA) lacks transparent governance and that critical mineral needs should be met through a circular economy rather than seabed extraction.

• Deep seabed mining poses severe threats to the marine environment, including the destruction of seafloor habitats for uncatalogued species, disruption of deep and midwater fisheries, and interference with biological systems that regulate carbon cycling. Specifically, 80% of marine carbon is stored below 1000 meters, and disrupting this could increase atmospheric carbon dioxide.
• The country of Nauru triggered a "two-year rule" under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) on June 30, 2021, notifying the International Seabed Authority (ISA) of its intent to mine the Clarion Clipperton Zone by June 2023. This creates an immediate risk to waters abutting the U.S. EEZ, specifically affecting Hawai‘i, Guam, and other Pacific Islander communities.
• The International Seabed Authority (ISA) is criticized for opaque and inequitable decision-making processes. The document notes that licensed contractors can hide environmental data as "commercial and confidential," and the Legal and Technical Commission operates behind closed doors without public participation.
• The authors reject the argument that deep seabed mining is necessary for the clean energy transition. Instead, they advocate for a sustainable supply chain for critical minerals based on a circular economy, including advanced recycling, domestic processing, and the use of the Initiative Responsible for Mining Assurance (IRMA) standard.

APA

Earthjustice (2021). Request for Presidential support of a moratorium on deep seabed mining. https://earthjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/deep_seabed_mining_letter_to_president_biden_12.1.2021.pdf

Chicago

Earthjustice. Request for Presidential support of a moratorium on deep seabed mining. 2021. https://earthjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/deep_seabed_mining_letter_to_president_biden_12.1.2021.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Earthjustice |title=Request for Presidential support of a moratorium on deep seabed mining |date=1 December 2021 |url=https://earthjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/deep_seabed_mining_letter_to_president_biden_12.1.2021.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{earthjustice2021request, author = {{Earthjustice}}, title = {{Request for Presidential support of a moratorium on deep seabed mining}}, publisher = {Earthjustice}, year = {2021}, month = dec, url = {https://earthjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/deep_seabed_mining_letter_to_president_biden_12.1.2021.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }