Andrew Lewin discusses the recent election of Brazilian oceanographer Leticia Carvalho as the next Secretary General of the International Seabed Authority. Carvalho's victory could potentially impact the future of deep sea mining. Tune in to learn more about what this means for the ocean and how you can take action to support ocean conservation.
Link to article: https://news.mongabay.com/2024/08/brazils-carvalho-to-lead-isa-following-predecessors-controversial-term/
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Leticia Carvalho, a Brazilian oceanographer, has been elected as the next Secretary General of the International Seabed Authority (ISA), marking a significant shift in leadership for the organization. Carvalho's election brings a new era of transparency and accountability to the ISA, as she has emphasized the importance of these values in her campaign.
With a background in oceanography and experience as an international civil servant for the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), Carvalho is well-positioned to lead the ISA in a sustainable and responsible manner. As the first woman, first oceanographer, and first representative from Latin America to hold this position, Carvalho's election is a historic moment for the ISA.
Under the previous leadership of Michael Lodge, concerns arose regarding transparency and neutrality within the ISA, particularly in relation to deep-sea mining activities. Lodge's tenure saw efforts to finalize the mining code for deep-sea exploration, but this was not achieved during his term. Allegations of advocating for mining companies and misusing agency funds further raised doubts about the ISA's commitment to marine environment protection.
Carvalho's election signifies a move towards a more balanced approach to deep-sea mining, focusing on transparency, sustainability, and marine habitat preservation. Her dedication to upholding the ISA's mandate and promoting sound ocean governance, prioritizing the precautionary principle, sets a positive tone for future deep-sea mining regulation.
As the ISA progresses under Carvalho's leadership, there is an opportunity to advocate for a new direction in deep-sea mining that considers the long-term health of the ocean and its benefits for future generations. Carvalho's election is a victory for those supporting responsible ocean management and establishes a foundation for a more inclusive and transparent decision-making process within the ISA.
The push for deep-sea mining has raised significant concerns about transparency, environmental impacts, and the necessity for sustainable practices. Leticia Carvalho's recent election as the next Secretary General of the International Seabed Authority (ISA) underscores the importance of addressing these issues. Carvalho's victory over the previous Secretary General, Michael Lodge, who faced accusations of supporting mining companies and lacking transparency, signals a shift towards more accountable and environmentally conscious leadership within the ISA.
Deep-sea mining is a contentious issue involving the extraction of seabed minerals for various purposes, including addressing metal shortages and providing materials for renewable energy technologies like electric car batteries. While proponents argue for the essential nature of these minerals for technological progress, critics warn of potential irreparable damage to the seabed and marine environment. The lack of understanding regarding the impacts of deep-sea mining, such as disruption to oxygen production and biodiversity in deep-sea habitats, underscores the need for caution and comprehensive regulation.
The ISA, as the governing body overseeing deep-sea mining activities, plays a crucial role in ensuring that mining operations are conducted sustainably and transparently. Carvalho's focus on transparency and commitment to upholding the ISA's mandate to protect the ocean and marine habitats signal a positive step towards responsible deep-sea mining practices. The ISA's role in balancing the interests of mining companies, environmental conservation, and the well-being of future generations underscores the complexity of the issue and the importance of thorough deliberation and regulation before granting exploitation licenses.
The concerns surrounding deep-sea mining echo past environmental challenges, such as the negative impacts of fossil fuel extraction and land-based mining activities. The rush for short-term economic gains has often led to long-term environmental degradation and social consequences. By prioritizing transparency, environmental protection, and sustainable practices, the ISA under Carvalho's leadership has the opportunity to champion a new approach to deep-sea mining governance that safeguards the health of the deep sea and its benefits for future generations.
Overall, the episode highlights the critical need for transparency, environmental stewardship, and sustainable practices in the context of deep-sea mining. Leticia Carvalho's appointment as the new Secretary General of the ISA represents a significant step towards addressing these concerns and ensuring that deep-sea mining is conducted responsibly and in the best interest of the ocean and its ecosystems.
One of the key takeaways from the episode is the significance of Leticia Carvalho's appointment as the next Secretary General of the International Seabed Authority (ISA). Her election marks a pivotal shift towards prioritizing sound ocean governance, the precautionary principle, and the protection of deep-sea ecosystems for future generations.
Carvalho's victory over her predecessor, Michael Lodge, by a significant margin reflects a clear mandate for change within the ISA. Lodge's tenure was marked by accusations of favoring mining companies and lacking transparency in the ISA's processes. In contrast, Carvalho's campaign emphasized the importance of transparency in decision-making within the ISA, signaling a commitment to open and accountable governance.
The appointment of Carvalho, as the first woman, first oceanographer, and first representative from Latin America to serve as the ISA Secretary General, brings a fresh perspective to the leadership role. Her background as an oceanographer and experience working with the United Nations Environment Program positions her well to advocate for the protection of deep-sea ecosystems and the sustainable management of seabed resources.
The episode highlights the potential risks associated with deep-sea mining, including irreparable damage to the seabed and marine environment. Carvalho's stance against granting exploitation licenses before robust regulations are in place underscores her commitment to upholding the precautionary principle. By prioritizing environmental protection and sustainable practices, Carvalho aims to secure the health of the deep sea and its benefits for future generations.
Overall, Carvalho's appointment represents a significant step towards fostering responsible ocean governance and ensuring the long-term health and sustainability of deep-sea ecosystems. As she takes on her new role in January 2025, there is optimism that under her leadership, the ISA will champion a new way forward that balances the needs of industry with the protection of the marine environment for the benefit of present and future generations.
Brazilian Oceanographer Leticia Carvalo has now been named officially as the next Secretary General of the International Seabed Authority the ISA after winning the election that could change the course of deep-sea mining. So if you're interested in finding out what's going to happen to deep-sea mining going forward if it's as of January 2025 then this is the episode that you're going to want to watch and listen to here on how to protect the ocean podcasts. Let's start the show. Hey everybody, welcome back to another exciting episode of how to protect the ocean podcast. I'm your host, Andrew Lewin. This is the podcast where you find out what's happening with the ocean, how you can speak up for the ocean, what you can do to live for a better ocean by taking action. And I am proud and happy to let you know that Leticia Carvalo, the Brazilian Oceanographer, won the election to become the next Secretary General of the International Seabed Authority by quite a number. She was able to get 79 votes while her predecessor, 64-year-old Michael Lodge, who served as the ISA Secretary General for the last two terms, received 34 votes. So just destroying him, doubling the votes. Very happy to say that, you know, Carvalo, who's 50 years old, currently works as an international civil servant for the United Nations Environment Program, the UNEP, was declared the winner on August 2nd. And this is actually the time that we actually published the last episode on August 2nd or two episodes ago where I discussed you know why Leticia should be involved in this the ISA who should be the leader. She's an oceanographer, she understands that transparency is really important, and so she's going to begin her leadership on January 2025, January 1st, 2025. She will be the first woman, the first oceanographer and the first representative from Latin America to serve in this position. Huge, huge like news coming out of the ISA meetings that just wrapped up in in Jamaica on August 2nd. You know, what's interesting is like commercial scale, deep sea mining hasn't begun anywhere, but there are, there's a huge push for mining companies to start to explore and start to rapidly ramp up this type of activity. And Lodge, he's been accused of kind of supporting the mining companies and ramping it up and also not being as transparent as the ISA should be. Now, the ISA should be a body is designed to be a body that's in the middle. It's supposed to promote deep sea mining, but also in a sustainable manner, but also protect the ocean and protect the marine habitats and protect humankind. So there's there's two, as I mentioned, the last episode I discussed this in Friday's episode or two episodes ago, there's sort of two combating forces a lot of times, which really requires one thing. And let's just say Carvala has been running her election campaign, if you will, on this, which is transparency, you have to be transparent as a as an international seabed authority, you have to be transparent in how all these these activities are conducted. And so the way Lodge did it wasn't that great. In manga bay news, they mentioned during his time as Secretary General between 2016 and 2024, Lodge pushed for the finalization of the mining code as a set of rules that would allow deep sea mining exploration to begin. However, this is really important. This code was not ultimately finished under his tenure. Lodge has also been accused of advocating for mining companies, which goes against the ISA secretary's duty for remaining neutral and keeping the ISA's process and procedures unnecessarily opaque. More recently, Lodge has also been embroiled in allegations that he misused agency funds and that one of his supporters tried to bribe Carvala to drop out of the election in exchange for another high level position within the ISA, the ISA. Lodge, however, has refuted all of these claims. They're just alleged it hasn't happened. They haven't seen evidence that provides this. However, you know, he's out. So whatever happens to him, it doesn't matter anymore from, you know, going forward with deep sea mining. His code mining code wasn't put forth. There's, you know, it was really interesting over the last, you know, 10 years or less. You know, like 2016, I remember talking to Dr. Andrew Thaler and I'm like, where's this deep sea mining going? And he's like, hey, man, he's like, in 2030, we might see some action. But before that, we probably won't see some action. And that was really it. There were a lot of countries who were just like, we have a moratorium on deep sea mining. There's, and that's still going. And there's 32 countries who continue to support that moratorium, even with the changes that have been happening recently. And, you know, last five years or so, you started to see Lodge really push to create this mining code. And it can never really be agreed upon by the end of these meetings that happen every year in Kingston, Jamaica, every summer in July. And so, you know, there's, it's always been weird. It's like, while of a sudden this push, you know, we were always taking a precautionary approach. We're always taking a conservative approach. So while all of a sudden this push, and then you start to hear allegations that, hey, you know, Lodge might be more on the mining company side than on the environment side and on the people side, you know, because that's what really happens here. When we start to talk about deep sea mining or any kind of issue that relates to the ocean, there are people who pay for this. These are the people in the countries that are where the mining is happening or anything that's happening that's going to change the ocean dynamics. We have no idea how deep sea mining is going to change the ocean. In fact, last week, I also talked about this dark oxygen where you saw the nodules that are that are wanting to be mined actually produce a high enough voltage to separate oxygen from the hydrogen modules in water to produce more oxygen at the bottom of the ocean. And we're starting to see that there's when we start to see more oxygen, we start to see more biodiverse areas and habitats in the deep sea, which we're not expecting to see. You know, maybe you see a special area like hydrothermal vents, but that's a completely different podcast. That's a completely different habitat to see it where you see actual oxygen that's being produced, and you're seeing more biodiverse areas, more animals in there. Now we're talking about a really important discovery, and we're just getting into that. What all of a sudden, if we start to mine those areas, then we're going to see that oxygen, we're going to see the disappearance of those animals. But we're also don't know what's going to happen to those areas when you take all those nodules out, right? Or you disturb the bottom, you know, by going dry, you know, digging into the bottom, we have no idea. And the countries that are closest to that will pay for that price. And right now, you know, we just don't know where the money I doubt deep sea mine is going to happen off the coast of developed countries. It's probably going to happen off the coast of developing countries, where they don't necessarily have a huge say or other, you know, other countries can bribe them. To say, Hey, you know what, let's go, let's start in your area, and we can, you know, we'll give you a school, we'll build all these things for you. That's what happens in a lot of these international agreements, especially when it comes down to the environment. I remember, you know, stories from the International Whaling Commission, the IWC, where you see countries like Japan and Norway and Iceland in the past have, you know, supported other countries, smaller countries, who may not have the same resources they do. And started to all of a sudden there's schools and buildings that are being built on those on these small island countries and all that to get votes and they'll vote the same way they want at the IWC when they talked about the moratorium on whaling. This happens all the time. This is not something that's new, but to have a system that is, you know, like an international body authority to say, Hey, we're going to try and keep things as transparent as possible. We want to make sure that everybody knows what's going on. We're not going to sway one or the one side or the other or one way or the other, and we're just going to help, you know, to get this process going. Can we do deep sea mining and it's be sustainable? Will this help mankind? We don't know at this point. We just don't know if that's going to happen. And there's really no rush in doing that. Now, what's interesting is one mining company in Canada, Canadian based the metals company, really interesting name called TMC. As you can see, I'm a little biased, but has repeatedly expressed its intention to apply for an exploitation license later this year, even before the mining code was finished. But that's not going to happen because Cavarlo has said that she believes granting such a license before regulations are in place would be a source of litigation. So advocates for deep sea mining say the sea bed minerals are needed to fulfill metal shortages and provide materials for a renewable energy technology such as electric car batteries. Yet critics say deep sea minerals are unnecessary for such technologies and that deep sea mining could irreparably damage the sea bed and overall marine environment, which they are correct. This we, like I said, the fact that we don't know what's going to happen. The fact that we are running into this blindly is scaring the hell out of all of us. We know this is something that we cannot and will not put up with. We've done this before. We did this with a lot of other technologies. Fossil fuels. We do it all the time. We run into situations, mining we did, mining on land, and was it tar sands, digging for tar sands and the extra, like the waste that is produced from mining and from tar sand oil and gas production is horrible. You see these wastewater ponds that have been awful. We've regulated that in Canada and the U.S., I'm not sure about other countries. I'm sure about other countries. They've probably done very similar ones where they've put in regulations for mining, but tar sands kind of just, they just get to do whatever they want it seems, where companies are coming in from other countries, they're providing jobs, short-term jobs, destroying our environment, destroying the global environment, and then putting out wastewater pans and not even cleaning them up, which costs like hundreds of millions of dollars of cleaning up and they're not made to clean them up. This is ridiculous. This is something that this is what happens when we rush into things for short-term money and it just goes off all the time. This is something that we need to stop. So coming at a new leadership with an oceanographer from Brazil, from Latin America, to start saying, "Hey, we need to be transparent. We need to stay true to the mandate of the ISA. We need to stay true to that. We need to be as transparent as possible. We need to hear all sides. We need to discuss. There's a lot of things that we need to discuss and we're not even close to finishing these mining regulations. Why rush into it and why issue permits when we don't have to?" And I think that's a really great way of putting moving things forward. I think it's really important. And Matt Gianni, who's the co-founder of the Deep Sea Conservation Coalition, thinks the same thing too. It's a group of NGOs that campaign against deep sea mining, said he was surprised by the number of country delegates that came to this year's ISA meeting or sent in their proxy votes for the election and also that's such a large majority voted for Carvalo. We don't always get these types of wins. This is a big win. This is something that we should celebrate. He said this is a historic moment for the ISA. And we congratulate Lissicia Carvalo and the government of Brazil for her election. The ISA has an opportunity to champion a new way forward for sound ocean governance that prioritizes the precautionary principle and secures the health of the Deep Sea and its benefits for future generations. Now, with that said, like this is a win. It does not mean that we aren't going to be doing deep sea mining in any future. It doesn't mean that this is the end of the deep sea mining campaign. Right? Lissicia Carvalo has a duty to be transparent, but she also has a duty to balance that, making sure that we're protecting the environment, but also making sure that deep sea mining is the right thing to do going forward and it'll be done properly and making sure those regulations are in place. So going in with the precautionary approach is very good, but let's be honest, the ISA is there at some point, it might and will probably put out permits for deep sea mining. So this will be interesting to see what's going to happen forward. I have a lot more confidence in the ISA now that Lissicia Carvalo is the leader. This is something that I really like. You should like as well. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this. You know, there's so many ways that you can get ahold of me. You can leave a comment on this YouTube video that you're watching, or if you're not watching on YouTube, you can go to YouTube, subscribe, and you can put it, leave a comment, or leave a comment if you don't subscribe, it's up to you. You can hit me up on Spotify, leave a comment or answer any of the polls that I have on there. If I put it up a poll, may or may not, we'll see. I don't want to do polls every time, but I'd love to hear your comments. If you're allowed to leave a comment, if you can't find the comments, I'd love for you to get ahold of me. Just hit me up on Instagram @HowToProtectTheOcean, just DM me. I'd love to hear if you can actually do that on Spotify if you're a Spotify listener. It's something new that's coming out. I don't know the full ways of doing it. I can't do it, but I'm not a subscriber, so maybe it's only for people to subscribe, but I'm still trying to figure all that out. You know, trying to do the whole podcasting thing and trying to figure out the new technology. So I'd love to hear your feedback on that and the show hit me up on Instagram @HowToProtectTheOcean, and thank you so much for joining me on today's episode of The How To Protect The Ocean podcast, especially one where we get to discuss such a great win for the issue of deep-sea mining. Thank you so much for listening. This episode of The How To Protect The Ocean, I am your host, Andrew Lewin. Have a great day. We'll talk to you next time, and happy conservation. [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING]
