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ThechangingfaceofUNH

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Exetergrouplookstobuildracialunity

Deepseaminingonhorizonas
UNbodyissuescontracts
Thedeepoceansspanmorethanhalftheglobeandtheirfrigiddepthshavelongbeen
knowntocontainvast,untappeddepositsofprizedminerals.Thesetreasuresofthe
abyss,however,havealwaysbeenoutofreachtominers.
Recommend

ByDAVIDMcFADDEN
AssociatedPress
PostedJul.25,2015at9:57AM

KINGSTON,Jamaica(AP)Thedeepoceans
spanmorethanhalftheglobeandtheirfrigid
depthshavelongbeenknowntocontainvast,
untappeddepositsofprizedminerals.These
treasuresoftheabyss,however,havealways
Zoom
InthisApril30,2009filephoto,coralreefsgrowinthe
watersofTatawaBesar,Komodoislands,Indonesia.
Risingdemandforcopper,cobalt,goldandtherare
earthelementsvitalinmanufacturingsmartphones
andotherhightechproductsiscausingaprospecting
rushtothedarkseafloorthousandsofmeters(yards)
beneaththewaves.TheJamaicabasedInternational
SeabedAuthorityhasissued27separate15year
contractsthatallowformineralprospectingonover1
millionsquarekilometers(over390,000sq.miles)of
seabedinthePacific,AtlanticandIndianOceans.(AP
Photo/DitaAlangkara,File)

beenoutofreachtominers.
Butnow,theeraofdeepseabedminingappears
tobedawningfueledbytechnologicaladvances
inroboticsanddwindlinglandbaseddeposits.
Risingdemandforcopper,cobalt,goldandthe
rareearthelementsvitalinmanufacturing
smartphonesandotherhightechproductsis
causingaprospectingrushtothedarkseafloor
thousandsofmeters(yards)beneaththewaves.

WithauthoritiesattheJamaicabasedInternationalSeabedAuthorityissuingexploration

STAYINFORMED

contracts,alarmedconservationistsarewarningthatthedeepocean'sfragilebiodiversitymust

beprotectedandnotnearlyenoughisknownabouttherisksofextractingmineralsfrom

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"Thepaceofactivityhasincreaseddramaticallyoverthelastfiveyears,"saidMichaelLodge,
deputysecretarygeneraloftheobscureU.N.bodyinKingstonthatactsasaglobalstewardof
thedeepseafloorandistaskedwithregulatingthisnewminingfrontier."We'reseeingthe
privatesectorinvestinabigway."
TheU.N.agency,knownbyitsinitialsISA,presidesoverseabedoutsidetheexclusiveterritorial

toyourinbox.

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Twohospitalizedafterrollovercrash

watersofindividualcountries.Sofar,ithasissued27explorationcontracts,thelargemajority

Jul.25,2015

ofthemsince2011.The15yearcontractsallowformineralprospectingonover1millionsquare
kilometers(over390,000sq.miles)ofseabedinthePacific,AtlanticandIndianOceans.

Policeinvestigatingpossibledrug
overdosedeathinDover Jul.22,2015

Governmentsandprivatecompanieshavebeenmovingsorapidlytostakeclaimsandassess

Hamptonpedestrian'critical'afterstruck
byDoverteen Jul.21,2015

depositsthatinsidersforecastthatcommercialdeepseaminingcouldstartwithinthenextfive
yearsusingroboticcollectorsequippedwithcamerasandsonarsensorsalongwithpipesystems
thatcansiphoncrushedmineralstoships.
DuringagatheringthismonthinJamaicaofrepresentativesfromnearly170memberstates,ISA

Police:MailmanenteredDoverhome,
woreresident'sboots Jul.22,2015
BlazedestroysFarmingtonhome
raidedlastweekfordrugs Jul.22,2015
Fosters.combecomespaidwebsite
Jul.20,2015

hasstarteddraftingaframeworktoregulatecommercialexploitationofseafloormetalsand
minerals.ThesessionendedFriday.
Agroupofinternationalscientists,inaJuly9articleinthejournalScience,urgedISAto
temporarilyhaltauthorizationofnewminingcontractsuntilnetworksof"marineprotected
areas"areestablishedaroundareastargetedformining.
"Weoweittofuturegenerationstoensurethatwethinkbeforeweactandgainathorough
understandingofthepotentialimpactsofmininginthedeepseabeforeanyminingis
permitted,"saidMatthewGianni,cofounderoftheDeepSeaConservationCoalition,whichsent
observerstoISA's21stsessioninKingston.
Butdespitethewarnings,inrecentdaysISAauthorizeditslatestexplorationcontract,a72,745
squarekilometer(28,087sq.mile)permitinthePacifictoChinaMinmetalsCorp.,sponsoredby

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EVENTSCALENDAR

Beijing.ChinanowhasthemostpermitsfromtheU.N.bodywithfour.
ISAwaslaunchedin1994andoperatesundertheU.N.ConventionontheLawoftheSea.The

SUN

onlymajormaritimepowerthathasnotratifiedtheconventionistheUnitedStates,where
DepartmentoftheInteriorhasgrantedexplorationlicensesinthePacifictoLockheedMartin
settingupadeepseaminingsubsidiarythere.
Sofar,mostofISA'scontractshavebeenissuedforthedeepabyssalplainsoftheClarion
ClippertonFractureZone,asprawlingareaofthePacificOceanoffMexicoandtheU.S.At
depthsof4,000to6,000meters,itisknowntoberichinnodulescontainingcopper,cobalt,
manganeseandsignificantconcentrationsofrareearthelements.Aspartofanenvironmental

TUE WED THU

Sunday,July26,2015

FRI

ChasesGarage:ArtistStudios&Gallery

GettingtotheSource: AllDay
FromFarmtoFork,A
localfoodcoachingprogram
includestourswithfarmers,fishermen
andlocalbrewers.
BlueMoonEvolution

HistoricMorning
PrayerService

plan,ISAhassetasidenineareasinthiszone,prohibitingthemtocontractors.
Othercovetedexplorationareascontaincopperrichsulphidesformedaroundhydrothermal

St.Paul'sChurch
MoreEvents

ventsandblackcobaltcrustscreatedalongtheslopesofseamountsandvolcanicmountain

EVENTS

VENUES

ranges.ThesebiologicallycomplexareasarefoundintheWesternPacific,AtlanticandIndian

9:00am
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DINING

Eventsbyeviesays.com

Oceans.ISAliteratureestimatesthatonesitecouldprovideupto25percentoftheannualglobal
marketforcobalt.
"Theconcentrationsofmineralsthatyoufindintheseabedareverymuchricherthanwhat'sleft
onland.Sodemandisonlygoingtoincrease,"Lodgesaid.
DouglasMcCauley,anecologistandconservationbiologistattheUniversityofCalifornia,Santa
Barbara,saidseabedminingandotherindustrialactivitieslikeoceanbasedpowergeneration
andfarmingindicatesthatmankindisonthecuspoflaunchinga"marineindustrialrevolution."
Currentproposalsfortheoceansoverthenextseveraldecades"lookuncomfortablysimilarto
whatwedidtolandinthe1700sand1800s,"hesaid,addingthattheonsetofthelandbased
industrializationwasassociatedwithaspikeinanimalextinctionrates.
Buttherearebasicthingshumanitycandotoapproachseabedminingintelligently,hesaid.
First,learnwhatbiodiversityisdowntherebeforewemine.Second,goslowlyonexploitation
contractsandstudytheimpactsofthisminingasitishappening.Third,setupsystemsof
protectedareasbefore,notafter,miningstarts.
"Theterrestrialindustrialrevolutionhappenedbeforewehadthetoolstomanagegoalsfor
developmentandgoalsforsustainingbiodiversity.Youcan'treallyblamepeopleinthe1700sfor
thedamagetheydidtotheenvironment..."hesaid."Butwecertainlyaretoblameifwedon't
doseabedminingproperly."

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lawmakershaveargueditcouldimpingeonU.S.economicandmilitarysovereignty.The
Corp.,aU.S.companythathasalsopartneredwiththeUnitedKingdom,anISAmember,by

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