The UN is putting deep-sea mining on pause. Here’s why

The seafloor is a treasure trove of critical minerals such as copper, cobalt, nickel and lithium. These metals are key to the energy transition and digital technologies, and demand for them is rising fast. The vast majority of these deposits lie in international waters. This puts them under the oversight of the UN’s International Seabed Authority (ISA). The ISA is discussing how deep-sea mining can be carried out sustainably and equitably with the benefits shared by all nations alike. Until then, the ISA has delayed deep-sea mining at commercial scale.