A seabed setback and the Pacific island of Nauru

Vital new technologies, from mobile phones and computers to batteries for electric vehicles and energy storage, have now created a huge demand for cobalt, nickel, copper, manganese and rare earths.

An aerial view of the Island of Nauru, a tiny independent island in the Western Pacific. The main function of the Jamaica-based International Seabed Authority is to control mining on the Earth's seabed in the areas beyond the reach of national laws, but so far it has only issued exploration permits, writes Gwynne Dyer.Image courtesy of U.S. Department of Energy's Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Program

Opinion

BY GWYNNE DYER

July 26, 2021

LONDON, U.K.—A month ago, it seemed to be just another tale of ruthless miners and desperate poor people conspiring to wreck the environment while slow-moving, distant regulators failed to get a grip. But it turns out to be more complicated than that, and rather more hopeful. The mining company w...

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