Asean lawmakers call for moratorium on deep-sea mining

MANILA, Philippines — Southeast Asian lawmakers called for an immediate moratorium on deep-sea mining, warning that the rush to extract minerals from the ocean floor could inflict irreversible damage on marine ecosystems and threaten the livelihoods of millions of people across the region. In a statement released for Deep Day 2026, Asean Parliamentarians for Human Rights, or APHR, said the deep ocean remains “one of the least understood ecosystems on Earth,” despite playing a critical role in regulating the climate, storing carbon and sustaining marine food webs. “The potential consequences of industrial-scale extraction in these fragile environments are profound, irreversible, […]...

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