The Republic of Nauru is an independent island state that belongs to Micronesia. It occurs in the Pacific Ocean and many have never heard of it. Though it could currently spearhead mineral exploitation in the ocean floor. It is an issue that worries the scientific community and environmentalists alike.
The Republic of Nauru could soon start looking for minerals on the sea floor
The seabed is made up of nodules that are rich in minerals and are excellent business for mining companies. The problem is, these companies are only looking for the wealth in minerals regardless of the chaos they cause.
There are United Nations (UN) officials responsible for overseeing deep-sea mining. You say that no company will be allowed to start work in the medium term.
However, the concerns of scientists and environmental groups are based on what has already been agreed. There is a trigger clause in the international mining contract. It would be like the fine print of contracts.
This allows a nation like Nauru to speed up the times for ocean mining to begin. The trigger clause would allow it to start within two years from the date of the application.
The Petania robot already has tests on the seabed of Nauru. carried out
Nauru has teamed up with Canadian mining company Deep Green. You have a state-of-the-art robot to start work with. The Petania II robot is like a large vacuum cleaner that works on the sea floor at a depth of 4 kilometers. You have already run tests with this robot.
Nauru and his partner Deep Green want to exploit the small, rare and rare mineral-rich tubers on land. One of these minerals is cobalt. Together with other very valuable ones, they are necessary for the development of alternative renewable energies that displace fossil fuels.
The International Seabed Authority (AIFM) is a United Nations-dependent agency. You have to dictate the rules to regulate marine exploitation. If this takes too long, the above clause gives Nauru the right to mine in deep waters.
Scientists and ecologists fear the damage that the marine ecosystem could suffer
The concern is capital because this will lead other nations to demand the same. The marine ecosystem is the one that suffers from the consequences. According to the AIFM, it is not yet possible to talk about mining jobs on the seabed. It takes a long time to reach the necessary agreements to regulate funding activities. However, the Petania II robot, manufactured by the Belgian company Global Sea Mineral Resources, successfully ran a test in the waters of Nauru.
In any case, the exploitation must be subject to strict regulations and controls of all kinds, so that the mining does not become an ecological catastrophe. This is the concern of science to damage an ecologically stable system. It remains unexplored to this day and needs to be protected.
For this reason, it is imperative to carefully assess the risks. They expect the AIFM to extend the permits. Above all, having the time to dictate clear rules that prevent uncontrollable chaos.
