Mrs Daiana Seabra Venancio1
1UNSW Canberra, Australia
Biography:
Ph.D. candidate in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences (HASS) at UNSW Canberra, researching the use of autonomous vehicles (AUVs) in seabed mining and the potential environmental impact of this technology. Master of Laws from Rio de Janeiro State University (UERJ), Brazil.
Abstract:
Pacific Small Island Developing States (PSIDS) face both pressing development needs and an existential threat from climate change and rising sea levels. At the international level, PSIDS have coordinated their efforts to call attention to the need to reduce carbon emissions rapidly and pressure developed States to take responsibility for their role in global warming. However, the issue of managing mineral resources in the sea is a point of contention among PSIDS.
The ocean is central to Pacific islanders' culture, livelihood, and economy. Yet, there is also a demand for seabed minerals to produce low-carb technologies. Some PSIDS, in favour of mining activities on the seafloor, claim their right to access these resources to promote their sustainable development. On the other hand, the PSIDS against seabed mining argue that it could cause irreversible damage to the marine ecosystem.
In light of this divergence of views among PSIDS on seabed mining activities, this presentation examines their (1) discourse regarding seabed mining internationally and (2) participation in the International Seabed Authority (ISA), the United Nations organization responsible for managing seabed mining activities in areas beyond national jurisdiction. It compares this with the position regarding seabed mining territories in the Pacific Ocean that remain under the control of developed countries, which, on the whole, favour a mining moratorium. This position – where developing countries are pushing for mining to commence and developed countries are resisting it – inverts the positions taken during negotiations in the 1970s to establish the ISA.