“Kingston’s Disappointment Should Not Extinguish Our Hope for the Deep Ocean”

“Kingston’s Disappointment Should Not Extinguish Our Hope for the Deep Ocean”VICTORIA, Seychelles, Aug 3 2026 (IPS) - Earlier this year, I called publicly for a precautionary pause on deep-sea mining, arguing that it is not a rejection of progress, but a commitment to sound science. But I want to be equally clear: disappointment is not defeat, and there is still every reason for hope. Governments including France, Costa Rica, South Africa, Mexico, Germany, Palau and Brazil rightly insisted these gaps must be closed before any commercial mining is contemplated. When four deep-sea mining companies sought observer status at the Assembly, dozens of governments pushed back, and the decision was postponed rather than rushed through. That experience is precisely why I believe a precautionary pause on deep-sea mining is a down payment on progress, not a brake on it.