NEW YORK, Sep 23 (IPS) – This week’s United Nations General Assembly marks almost 20 years since the body decided to limit fishing in deep seas, seamounts that rise thousands of meters above sea level and include some of the world’s highest mountains. biologically rich marine ecosystems in the world.
Led by Palau and other small island nations with generations-long ties to the ocean, the following decades saw successive agreements expanding protection of the deep sea—dark, cold waters below 200 meters—culminating last year with the adoption of an agreement to protect marine biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction.
These are important achievements to celebrate. But, we have been involved in diplomacy long enough to know that such agreements are often the beginning of a long and winding journey to full implementation.
Today, for example, not only does bottom dredging continue, but it takes place in deep water, despite scientific evidence of the serious damage it causes to corals and other habitats. In fact, the UN’s most recent World Ocean Assessment found that “fishing, especially trawling, is the biggest current threat to marine ecosystems”.
A similar story is happening elsewhere in the deep sea. Not long ago, the crushing pressure and near darkness of the mesopelagic layer of the ocean, sometimes called the “twilight zone” (200-1000 meters deep), was thought to be lifeless.
However, technological advances such as underwater vehicles and remotely operated vehicles, now give us a window into a world full of deep-water fish, squid, and shrimp. It is estimated that this marine area holds about 95 percent of all marine fish by weight and about 10 million different species—a level of biodiversity comparable to tropical rainforests.
We now know the nature of the deep sea vital to the health of the vast ocean food web, including the fish that many people around the world depend on for food and work.
In addition, new research has revealed that the amazing mesopelagic biomass plays an important role in the climate system by storing large amounts of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere through a process known as the carbon pump.
However, as overfishing, pollution, and rapidly warming tropical waters continue to attack fish around the world, nations have increasingly looked to authorize their vessels to exploit the deep sea to meet the endless demand for fish products used in fertilizers, aquaculture. , and dietary supplements.
The danger of overexploitation does not end 1000 meters down. Mining companies have long looked to extend their reach from land to the deep sea. Today, for example, the UN-affiliated International Seabed Authority, which regulates deep-sea mining, is working on finalizing rules to govern commercial activities on the seabed.
It has already allowed exploratory mining trips in the vast Pacific Clarion-Clipperton Zone, where ships dredge the ocean floor 4000-5000 feet below the surface to find nodules of nickel, manganese, copper, and cobalt without government funding that would be unprofitable. .
As elsewhere, activities can cause irreversible damage to ecosystems and release carbon that has been safely stored for millennia. If approved, full-scale mining could begin in a few years.
Surprisingly (and not without irony), research funded in part by corporate mining interests recently discovered the presence of “dark oxygen” in the same subsea region. It has long been understood that oxygen is created by living things in the presence of light through the process of photosynthesis.
However, research published this summer shows that the electrochemical properties of the aforementioned nodules can produce oxygen in total darkness. The findings may have far-reaching consequences that will help us understand the origin of life and show the high level involved in mining.
As we have begun to unravel the mysteries of the deep sea over the past two decades, the wisdom of the international community’s commitment to protect it is clearer than ever. Our most important task today is to fully implement it before it is too late.
Surangel S. Whipps Jr. he is also the president of Palau Helen Clark he is the prime minister of New Zealand.
IPS UN Bureau
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© Inter Press Service (2024) — All Rights ReservedOriginal source: Inter Press Service
