The 2-Year Countdown to Deep-Sea Mining

Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Ian Lange contributed to this article about how a small island nation, Nauru,  is forcing the hand of international regulators to finalize rules for deep-sea mining, but scientists say the environmental consequences are not yet clear.  Nauru, the smallest island nation in the world, invoked a legal provision last June that started a countdown clock for deep-sea mining in international waters. The move is essentially an ultimatum to speed up the completion of deep-sea mining regulations so that commercial enterprises can begin exploiting the seabed. January 24, 2022.