France’s Macron says deep-sea mining must not go ahead

LISBON, June 30 (Reuters) – French President Emmanuel Macron
said on Thursday a legal framework was needed to stop deep-sea
mining from going ahead and urged countries to put their money
on science to better understand and protect the world’s oceans. There is growing international interest in deep-sea mining
but there is also pressure from some environmental groups and
governments to either ban it or ensure it only goes ahead if
appropriate regulations are in place. Deep-sea mining would involve using heavy machinery to suck
up off the ocean floor potato-sized rocks or nodules that
contain cobalt, manganese, and other rare metals mostly used in
batteries.