Deep-sea mining talks end with no agreement on environmental rules

Mining could begin in less than a year after talks fail to produce regulatory framework despite growing calls to halt harm to oceans

The negotiations on opening the world's first deep-sea mines ended in Kingston, Jamaica, last week with no agreement, meaning that less than a year remains before a legal clause kicks in that could see seabed mining commence without any environmental or economic regulations in place.

Three weeks of discussions on the two-year rule" at the council headquarters of the International Seabed Authority (ISA) - the UN body that oversees mining in international waters - ended in stalemate on 4 August. The two-year rule was triggered in July 2021 when the Pacific nation of Nauru declared its plan to start seabed mining.