Latest news with #JeffWatters
Boston Globe
25-04-2025
- Business
- Boston Globe
Environmental groups fear Trump's order to speed deep-sea mining will harm ecosystems
But environmentalists worry it could harm fisheries and even affect oceans' ability to store carbon dioxide, the main driver of global warming caused by the burning of coal, gas and other fossil fuels. Advertisement More than 30 countries, as well as fisheries trade groups, environmentalists and some auto and tech companies, have called for a moratorium on seabed mining. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up 'Scientists agree that deep-sea mining is a deeply dangerous endeavor for our ocean and all of us who depend on it,' said Jeff Watters, vice president for external affairs at the Ocean Conservancy. 'The harm caused by deep-sea mining isn't restricted to the ocean floor: it will impact the entire water column, top to bottom, and everyone and everything relying on it.' Such concerns prompted most countries in the 1990s to join a United Nations-affiliated International Seabed Authority to govern seabed mining in international waters. But the U.S. never signed onto the effort, which has not yet adopted rules. Advertisement Watters warned that ignoring those efforts 'is opening a door for other countries to do the same' before safeguards are adopted. The ramifications could resonate beyond deep-sea mining, affecting agreements on fishing, shipping, navigation and marine research, warned Duncan Currie, legal advisor for the Deep Sea Conservation Coalition. Trump's order comes after Canada-based The Metals Company said it would request approval through a U.S. subsidiary for mining in international waters. 'This is a clear case of putting mining companies' greed over common sense,' said Katie Matthews, chief scientist at the advocacy group Oceana. 'Any attempt to accelerate deep-sea mining without proper safeguards will only speed up the destruction of our oceans.'
Scoop
24-04-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
Ocean Conservancy Condemns Deep Sea Mining Executive Order
Press Release – Ocean Conservancy Directing NOAA to open the floodgates for seabed mining in defiance of international consensus will harm our ocean and our country WASHINGTON – Today, President Trump issued an executive order directing the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to allow permitting for deep-sea mining despite objections by more than 30 countries worldwide. This executive order, spurred by a proposal from The Metals Company requesting U.S. approval for mining in international waters, would bypass the authority of the International Seabed Authority (ISA), a U.N.-affiliated agency which is in the midst of considering standards for deep-sea mining across the world. Jeff Watters, Ocean Conservancy's vice president for external affairs, issued the following statement in response. 'This executive order flies in the face of NOAA's mission. NOAA is charged with protecting, not imperiling, the ocean and its economic benefits, including fishing and tourism; and scientists agree that deep-sea mining is a deeply dangerous endeavour for our ocean and all of us who depend on it. 'Areas of the U.S. seafloor where test mining took place over 50 years ago still haven't fully recovered. The harm caused by deep-sea mining isn't restricted to the ocean floor: it will impact the entire water column, top to bottom, and everyone and everything relying on it. Evidence tells us that areas targeted for deep-sea mining often overlap with important fisheries, raising serious concerns about the impacts on the country's $321 billion fishing industry. 'NOAA is already being threatened by this Administration's unprecedented cuts. NOAA is the eyes and ears for our water and air. NOAA provides Americans with accessible and accurate weather forecasts; it tracks hurricanes and tsunamis; it responds to oil spills; it keeps seafood on the table; and so much more. Forcing the agency to carry out deep-sea mining permitting while these essential services are slashed will only harm our ocean and our country. 'It's not just our country this executive order would harm: this action has far-reaching implications beyond the U.S.. By unilaterally pursuing mining in international waters in defiance of the rest of the world, the Administration is opening a door for other countries to do the same — and all of us, and the ocean we all depend on, will be worse off for it. Ocean Conservancy is working to protect the ocean from today's greatest global challenges. Together with our partners, we create evidence-based solutions for a healthy ocean and the wildlife and communities that depend on it.
Scoop
24-04-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
Ocean Conservancy Condemns Deep Sea Mining Executive Order
WASHINGTON – Today, President Trump issued an executive order directing the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to allow permitting for deep-sea mining despite objections by more than 30 countries worldwide. This executive order, spurred by a proposal from The Metals Company requesting U.S. approval for mining in international waters, would bypass the authority of the International Seabed Authority (ISA), a U.N.-affiliated agency which is in the midst of considering standards for deep-sea mining across the world. Jeff Watters, Ocean Conservancy's vice president for external affairs, issued the following statement in response. 'This executive order flies in the face of NOAA's mission. NOAA is charged with protecting, not imperiling, the ocean and its economic benefits, including fishing and tourism; and scientists agree that deep-sea mining is a deeply dangerous endeavour for our ocean and all of us who depend on it. 'Areas of the U.S. seafloor where test mining took place over 50 years ago still haven't fully recovered. The harm caused by deep-sea mining isn't restricted to the ocean floor: it will impact the entire water column, top to bottom, and everyone and everything relying on it. Evidence tells us that areas targeted for deep-sea mining often overlap with important fisheries, raising serious concerns about the impacts on the country's $321 billion fishing industry. 'NOAA is already being threatened by this Administration's unprecedented cuts. NOAA is the eyes and ears for our water and air. NOAA provides Americans with accessible and accurate weather forecasts; it tracks hurricanes and tsunamis; it responds to oil spills; it keeps seafood on the table; and so much more. Forcing the agency to carry out deep-sea mining permitting while these essential services are slashed will only harm our ocean and our country. 'It's not just our country this executive order would harm: this action has far-reaching implications beyond the U.S.. By unilaterally pursuing mining in international waters in defiance of the rest of the world, the Administration is opening a door for other countries to do the same — and all of us, and the ocean we all depend on, will be worse off for it. ABOUT OCEAN CONSERVANCY Ocean Conservancy is working to protect the ocean from today's greatest global challenges. Together with our partners, we create evidence-based solutions for a healthy ocean and the wildlife and communities that depend on it.
