Growing opposition to China's plan to strip-mine seabedGreenpeace activists protest against deep-sea mining in Prague, Czech Republic on June 1. Its conclusion was 'not yet': Most delegations said they wouldn't approve any applications until the ISA puts mining regulations in place. The treaty declared the seabed to be the "common heritage" of humankind, with royalties and other benefits from deep-sea mining shared among member nations. (In June, the head of the secretariat's compliance unit joined a Norwegian deep-sea mining company that holds ISA exploration contracts.) "It is imperative to acknowledge its significance, and why a prohibition on deep-sea mining is the only viable solution to safeguard our collective ocean."
