Investing For Ocean Impact

A wave of action against deep sea mining is growing. 

In July 2024, the International Seabed Authority will meet for its 29th Session in Kingston, Jamaica. Pacific island states or “large ocean states” like Palau have been leading the charge at the ISA to pause and reconsider the current trajectory towards deep sea mining. And now over twenty-five countries have called for a pause, a moratorium, or an outright ban on the practice. 

In the third and final episode of this miniseries we welcome Palau’s President Surangel S. Whipps Jr. to discuss the reasons behind these decisions, why some states are eager to begin mining, and what’s at stake for the world. 

With thanks to President Surangel S. Whipps Jr. of the Republic of Palau; and Kristina Gjerde, Senior High Seas Advisor to the International Union for Conservation of Nature. 

Investing For Ocean Impact is a Fresh Air Production on behalf of the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Dona Bertarelli Philanthropy. It is presented and produced by Phil Sansom. 

The views and opinions expressed by guests on this podcast are their own and do not represent the views and opinions of IUCN or Dona Bertarelli Philanthropy.

FURTHER READING:  

Report on the value of ecosystem services and natural capital of the Area, Brander and Guisado Gõni, 2023

Deep-Sea Mining: assessing evidence on future needs and environmental impacts, easac.eu, 2023 DSM and Human right implications, OHCHR, 2023

Equitable sharing of deep-sea mining benefits: More questions than answers (Wilde et al, 2023)

A pause to mining activity is consistent with the U.N. Law of the Sea, Pew, 2023

Deep-Sea Mining Moratorium - Deep Sea Conservation Coalition (deep-sea-conservation.org)

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Why have some multinational companies pledged not to use minerals sourced from deep sea mining?  

Today several major companies such as Volvo, BMW, and Samsung have joined over twenty-five countries in calling for a moratorium on deep sea mining. They have agreed not to source any minerals from the seabed for their entire supply chain of production, including for batteries and electric vehicles, until risks are fully understood and can be responsibly managed.  

In the second episode of this miniseries we discuss the reasons behind these decisions; what factors – practical, financial, or environmental - businesses are considering; and whether deep sea mining makes economic sense. 

With thanks to Eva Bennis, Director of Sustainability at Volvo Group Purchasing; and Rashid Sumaila, Professor of Interdisciplinary Ocean and Fisheries Economics at the University of British Columbia. 

Investing For Ocean Impact is a Fresh Air Production on behalf of the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Dona Bertarelli Philanthropy. It is presented and produced by Phil Sansom. 

The views and opinions expressed by guests on this podcast are their own and do not represent the views and opinions of IUCN or Dona Bertarelli Philanthropy.

FURTHER READING:  

To engage in deep-sea mining or not to engage: what do full net cost analyses tell us? (Sumaila et al., 2023)

DSM is rife with technical challenges and overlooks innovations: Investors think twice (the Ocean Foundation, 2024)

High levels of investment in mining and refining have ensured that global supply can meet demand today (Global EV Outlook, 2024)

How to Lose Half a Trillion, Deep Sea Mining, Financial Risk & Reward, Greenwashing, Transparency & Traceability, Equity  (Planet tracker, 2024)

Companies and financial institutions endorsing the Business Statement supporting a moratorium on Deep Sea Mining (Nautilus, 2023)

Critical minerals and the green transition, do we need to mine the deep seas? (Environmental Justice Foundation)

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What is deep sea mining? And what should the world do about it? Welcome to a brand new miniseries exploring the facts and evidence around deep sea mining, and covering the growing case for a moratorium on the practice.  

The ocean’s seabed harbours a range of mineral reserves containing valuable metals and compounds. But under international law these resources have been designated “the common heritage of mankind”, a designation backed up by the body responsible for both preserving and allowing their use, the International Seabed Authority. Today, for the first time, this body is being seriously tested: some companies are saying they are ready to mine the deep sea, and are demanding to do so. 

In this first of three episodes we discuss the ecological and environmental impacts of deep sea mining, explain its legal status, cover recent developments at the International Seabed Authority, and start to separate rhetoric from reality. 

With thanks to Diva Amon, scientific advisor at the Benioff Ocean Science Laboratory at the University of California Santa Barbara; and Pradeep Singh, fellow at the Research Institute for Sustainability at Helmholtz Center Potsdam. 

Investing For Ocean Impact is a Fresh Air Production on behalf of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, and Dona Bertarelli Philanthropy. It is presented and produced by Phil Sansom. 

The views and opinions expressed by guests on this podcast are their own and do not represent the views and opinions of IUCN or Dona Bertarelli Philanthropy.

FURTHER READING:

Climate change to drive increasing overlap between Pacific tuna fisheries and emerging deep-sea mining industry, (Amon et al., 2023) 

90% of species in proposed deep-sea mining area, the Clarion Clipperton Zone, are undiscovered and unnamed, (Rabone et al., 2023) 

Undermining by Mining? Deep Seabed Mining in Light of International Marine Environmental Law |(Singh and Jaeckel, 2024) 

Is the ISA Ready to Regulate? Working Paper (Bosco et al., 2023) 

A “Deadline” Expires: Quo Vadis, International Seabed Authority? (rifs-potsdam.de) (Singh, 2023)  

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This past year has been eventful for the ocean. 

Sustainable blue economy was a central theme for global conferences: the UN High Seas Treaty negotiation success, the UN Ocean Conference in Portugal leading to the CBD Biodiversity COP15 in Montreal, the One Ocean Summit in France, Canada hosting IMPAC5, the Our Ocean conference in Panama; all without forgetting the climate COP27 in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, as well as the Convention on Wetlands. 

Countries and companies alike have pledged enormous amounts of money for ocean conservation. Most recently, UN member states agreed to create new and special funds for the Global Biodiversity Framework established at COP15 and for implementing the newly agreed treaty to protect biodiversity on the high seas.  

What are we to make of all this? Will these commitments translate into real actions? Are governments taking definitive steps to protect our ocean, or is this all a lot of hot air?  

In this episode, Minna Epps – standing in for Dorothée – is talking to high-level guests about the key actions taken in the ocean conservation and finance space in 2022, as well as the next steps the world must take to make the necessary investments happen. 

With thanks to Dr David Cooper, acting Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity; Dr Musonda Mumba, Secretary General of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands; and Ambassador Olivier Poivre d’Arvor, French Ambassador for the Poles and Maritime Issues. 

Investing For Ocean Impact is a Fresh Air Production on behalf of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. It is presented by Dorothée Herr and Minna Epps, and produced by Phil Sansom, with production assistance from Anthony Hobson. 

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Environmental economic accounting is a new process that promises to transform the way we look at biodiversity and ecosystems. It’s based on traditional accounting - using data to track economic flows, record assets, and plan future investments. Might it be possible to account for something as broad and deep as the ocean?

In this episode, Dorothee Herr asks how we might break down the natural world onto a balance sheet, based on results from the very first pilot projects in Australia.

With thanks to Crystal Bradley, Director of Environmental Economic Accounts at the Australian Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment, and Water; and Ben Milligan, Secretariat Director for the Global Ocean Accounts Partnership.

Investing For Ocean Impact is a Fresh Air Production on behalf of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. It is presented by Dorothée Herr and produced by Phil Sansom, with production assistance from Anthony Hobson.

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Half of the world’s population is female. But on the financing side, men still tend to dominate the boardrooms. But for conservation projects on the ground, local women are increasingly driving the most important work – and enriching their lives in the process.

In this episode we unpack these power dynamics and discuss what it will take for financing systems to really empower and benefit women, plus – we discover how young female enterpreneurs are taking matters into their own hands.

With thanks to Lorena Aguilar, Executive Director of the Kaschak Institute for Social Justice for Women and Girls; and Anga Mbeyiya, Founder of Ole Blu.

Investing For Ocean Impact is a Fresh Air Production on behalf of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. It is presented by Dorothée Herr and produced by Phil Sansom, with production assistance from Anthony Hobson.

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Green-grey infrastructure is a fascinating new concept. It describes Nature-based Solutions like mangroves or coral reefs that can work as or alongside grey infrastructure projects – like ports, seawalls, or water treatment plants. In a time of rising sea levels as well as increased coastal development, this kind of thinking is more important than ever.  

In this episode, Dorothée explores what green-grey infrastructure actually means, and what needs to change to drive the world’s heavy infrastructure to work for the good of the ocean. 

Featuring Margot Clarvis, Head of Nature-based Solutions at C-Quest Capital; and Ido Sella, Co-founder and CEO of ECOncrete. 

Investing For Ocean Impact is a Fresh Air Production on behalf of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. It is presented by Dorothée Herr and produced by Phil Sansom, with production assistance from Anthony Hobson. 

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Welcome to the High Seas. More than two hundred nautical miles beyond any coastline, these wild waters make up two thirds of the entire ocean and perform crucial functions like protecting fish and regulating our climate. But when it comes to global conservation action, they get little attention. 

That might change very soon. A new treaty is in development – the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction agreement, or BBNJ – that aims to manage the High Seas for the good of everyone. In this episode we’ll discuss how the agreement is going to work, and crucially, who is going to pay for the conservation of these last frontiers. 

Featuring Rashid Sumaila, Professor of Ocean and Fisheries Economics at the University of British Columbia; and Torsten Thiele, Founder of the Global Ocean Trust. 

Investing For Ocean Impact is a Fresh Air Production on behalf of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. It is presented by Dorothée Herr and produced by Phil Sansom, with production assistance from Kamau Joseph. 

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This is part two of our double feature on blue bonds.

Last time we were introduced to blue bonds through the pioneering example of the Seychelles a few years ago. But today there’s a whole new generation of debt-for-nature swaps that restructure the debt of entire countries.

In this episode, we speak to two of the people responsible for designing these deals to find out how they work – including the complex insurance clauses tying them together – and how widely they could be replicated.

Featuring Slav Gatchev, Managing Director of Sustainable Debt at The Nature Conservancy; and Simon Young, Senior Director of the Climate and Resilience Hub at Willis Towers Watson.

Investing For Ocean Impact is a Fresh Air Production on behalf of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. It is presented by Dorothée Herr and produced by Phil Sansom, with production assistance from Kamau Joseph.

You can find out more about Slav and Simon's 'inverted avocado' HERE.

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What are blue bonds? They're some of the biggest deals in ocean finance today - in some cases involving restructuring the debt of entire nations. But how do they actually work?

This is part one of two episodes about blue bonds, where we’re travelling to the Seychelles to talk about the first blue bond ever created - and asking how they deliver money to Nature-based Solutions.

Featuring Melissa Walsh, Sustainable Ocean Finance Lead at the Minderoo Foundation; and Marie-May Jeremie, CEO of the Seychelles Conservation and Climate Adaptation Trust.

Investing For Ocean Impact is a Fresh Air Production on behalf of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. It is presented by Dorothée Herr and produced by Phil Sansom, with production assistance from Kamau Joseph.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.