By allowing ads to appear on this site, you support the local businesses who, in turn, support great journalism.
Environmental groups reject deep-sea mining as key UN meeting looms
preview.jpg
FILE - A rainstorm moves over the Atlantic Ocean after passing through Camden, Maine, at sunset Aug. 1, 2023. Environmental groups on Wednesday Oct. 25, 2025 urged a moratorium on deep sea mining ahead of an international meeting in Jamaica where a U.N. body will debate the issue. - photo by AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty, File
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Environmental groups on Wednesday urged a moratorium on deep-sea mining ahead of an international meeting in Jamaica where an obscure U.N. body will debate the issue, amid fears it could soon authorize the world’s first license to harvest minerals from the ocean floor. More than 20 countries have called for a moratorium or a precautionary pause, with Monaco this month becoming the latest to oppose deep-sea mining ahead of the meeting Monday in Jamaica of the U.N. International Seabed Authority’s council that will last almost two weeks. Companies including Samsung and BMW also have pledged to avoid using minerals mined from the deep sea.