UN experts stated on Tuesday that new regulations concerning seabed governance, including seabed mining, must be grounded in international human rights and environmental laws, ahead of the 31st session of the International Seabed Authority (ISA).
In a press release, the experts emphasized that states have an obligation under international law to ensure that regulatory frameworks “protect the climate system and prevent human rights and environmental harm,” as mandated by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in a recent ruling, and the UN’s recognition of access to a clean and healthy environment as a human right. They added that any regulation governing seabed mining should include the precautionary principle, which mandates avoiding environmentally sensitive activities and taking preventive action against potential harm to human health or the environment even in the absence of full scientific certainty, as is the case with seabed mining. This extends to businesses, which are also obliged to ensure that their activity does not result in environmental abuses, as required under the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.
The experts further warned that developing seabed mining activity to meet global mineral needs poses serious risks to the environment, climate, and human rights. This includes the destruction of habitats, disruption of marine biodiversity, and dispersion of toxic pollutants, which would eventually affect the lives of indigenous communities whose livelihoods depend on healthy marine ecosystems for work and food security.
There has been growing concern about the environmental impacts of seabed mining, as international demands for minerals are expected to grow in order to provide critical minerals for decarbonization, digitization, and infrastructure. While proponents assert the necessity of seabed mining activity, scientists have consistently warned about its devastating impacts on climate change, marine life, and human rights. In 2021, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and other organizations called for a moratorium on deep-seabed mining to protect life in the ocean, citing concerns about the technical and economic viability of seabed mining as well as insufficient current regulations. Norway in 2025 adopted a moratorium on deep-sea mining licenses until the end of 2029, joining 40 other nations that have called for the same measure.
International treaties, besides the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, have been adopted to strengthen the prevention of ocean pollution and the preservation of marine biodiversity. The UN agreed on a basis for a unified treaty to protect biodiversity in the high seas in 2023. It also ratified the Agreement on Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction in September 2025, providing a human rights-based framework to address the ongoing loss of marine biodiversity and imposes measures that help identify any potential risk to marine life.
