From Benzinga, August 1:
Zinger Key Points
- The International Seabed Authority is holding an election for secretary general on Friday.
- The vote is a microcosm of a broader debate pitting conservationists against the mining industry
Companies leading the effort to collect battery metals from the bottom of the ocean say seabed mining is inevitable despite high-profile environmental concerns.
The battle is over the trillions of nodules littering the sea floor outside of the jurisdiction of any single nation. They contain manganese, nickel, cobalt and copper, all of which are either used in electric vehicle batteries, grid scale energy storage or other green technology like wind turbines and solar arrays.
Covering more than half of the total area of the world's oceans, the international area in question is governed by the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and its organizational arm, the International Seabed Authority.
The authority is debating rules for deep sea mining at a meeting in Jamaica scheduled to conclude Friday with a vote on a new secretary general who will oversee the body in a four-year term to start on Jan. 1.
The contest is between a candidate seen as more friendly to conservationists and the incumbent who is considered more pro-mining....
....MUCH MORE
