Independent Expert Scientific Panel – Report on Unconventional Oil and Gas

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A Legal Regime for the Mining of Helium-3 on the Moon: U.S. Policy Options

Absent an agreed international legal framework, attempts by the United States or any other nation or private entity to acquire and bring to Earth significant quantities of He-3 could give rise to controversy and conflict. Consequently, it seems timely to revisit the issue of the legal regime potentially applicable to exploiting He-3 and other lunar resources. Part I of this Article will briefly discuss the technical and economic prospects for the develop of He-3-based fusion energy. Part II lays out the present legal situation concerning the exploitation of lunar resources such as He-3. Part III analyzes whether it is prudent for the United States to seek an international lunar resource regime. Concluding that it would be, Part IV provides possible policy options for the United States concerning the establishment of an international legal regime capable of facilitating the development of He-3-based fusion energy

From the depths: rich pickings of principles of sustainable development and general international law on the ocean floor - the Seabed Disputes Chamber’s 2011 advisory opinion

In February 2011, the Seabed Disputes Chamber of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea handed down its Advisory Opinion in Responsibilities and Obligations of States Sponsoring Persons and Entities with respect to Activities in the Area. Although primarily focused on governance of the deep seabed beyond national jurisdiction (‘the Area’), the Opinion has wider relevance for both international environmental law and general international law. More specifically, although sustainable development is not directly referenced in the Opinion, this article argues that it goes a long way towards strengthening many of the emerging normative rules associated with it. Using the International Law Association’s 2002 New Delhi Declaration of Principles of International Law relating to Sustainable Development as a framework, this article specifically analyses the Advisory Opinion’s contribution to the sustainable use of natural resources, the precautionary approach, common but differentiated responsibilities, and the principle of good governance

Corporate Social Responsibility in the Diamond Mining Industry on the West Coast of South Africa

the study was aimed at seeing how communities benefit from minin

ERA-MIN Research Agenda

European Research Area - Network on the Industrial Handling of Raw Materials for European Industriesroadmap of the "ERA-MIN" eranetNon-energy and non-agricultural raw materials underpin the global economy and our quality of life. They are vital for the EU's economy and for the development of environmentally friendly technologies essential to European industries. However, the EU is highly dependent on imports, and securing supplies has therefore become crucial. A sustainable supply of mineral products and metals for European industry requires a more efficient and rational consumption, enhanced substitution and improved recycling. Recycling from scrap to raw materials has been rapidly gaining in quantity and efficiency over the last years. However, continuous re-use cannot provide alone the necessary quantities of mineral raw materials, due to i) recycling losses, ii) the worldwide growing demand in raw materials, and iii) the need of "new" elements for the industry. To fully meet future needs, metals and mineral products from primary sources will still be needed in the future. Most of them will continue to be imported from sources outside Europe; but others can, and should, be produced domestically. Advanced research and innovation are required to improve the capacity of existing technologies to discover new deposits, to improve the efficiency of the entire geomaterials life cycle from mineral extraction to the use as secondary resource of products at the end of their industrial life, and to reduce the environmental footprint of raw materials extraction and use. Research and innovation must be made to acquire knowledge as well, and to improve our basic understanding of all engineering and natural processes involved in the raw materials life cycle, as well as the coupling of these processes. Finally, research has to go beyond the present-day economic and technological constraints, and it should be closely associated with training and education in order to maintain existing skills and to share the most recent developments with the industrial sector. A long-term vision of research is necessary in order to have the capacity of evaluating the environmental and societal impacts of present and developing industrial activities and to imagine tomorrow's breakthrough concepts and technologies that will create new industrial opportunities. These objectives require the input of contrasted scientific and technical skills and competences (earth science, material science and technology, chemistry, physics, engineer, biology, engineering, environmental science, economy, social and human sciences, etc). An important challenge is to gather all these domains of expertise towards the same objective. The ERA-MIN Research Agenda aims at listing the most important topics of research and innovation that will contribute to i) secure the sustainable supply and management of non-energy and non-agricultural raw materials, and ii) offer opportunities of investment and employment opportunities in the EU

A Deep Dive into Private Governance of Deep-Sea Mining

Modern, information-driven economies need rare-earth metals for everything from laptop computers to cellular phones. Society will require more of these metals for the solar panels, wind turbines, and storage batteries necessary to convert electricity systems to renewable energy. The deep sea contains large amounts of high-quality, rare-earth metals that companies and nations are increasingly interested in mining. The International Seabed Authority (ISA) is authorized under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) to permit and regulate deep-sea mining of the sea floor outside of national jurisdiction (the “Area”), and the ISA is currently developing regulations to issue the first contract allowing deep-sea mining. Deep-sea ecosystems are, however, understudied, and their functioning, diversity, sensitivity, and value are poorly understood. As a result, the initial ISA regulations—intended to protect deep-sea ecosystems-—may not effectively address all environmental harms associated with mining in these environments. This Note proposes that private environmental governance mechanisms, like supply chain contracts and credit agreements, can fill regulatory gaps as they emerge or extend regulations into national waters if deep-sea mining commences. Private environmental governance only requires agreement between contracting parties as opposed to the approval of a large, potentially contentious, regulatory body like the ISA. Thus, private contractual requirements can quickly fill gaps in or extend the ISA regulatory regime as new information on the environmental impacts of deep-sea mining emerges. If corporations in the retail, technology, or automobile industry recognize the importance of sustainable rare-earth metal production and consumption, they can contract to either find alternative, recycled sources for their technology or minimize the impact of their operations on the deep sea

The Deep Seabed Hard Mineral Resources Act: Legality and Necessity the U.S. Perspective

In June of 1980, the President of the United States signed into law the Deep Seabed Hard Mineral Resources Act, a piece of national legislation that will most definitely have international repercussions. The developing nations of the world are strongly opposed to unilateralism on the part of any nation, contending the minerals of the deep seabed belong to all nations and, therefore, the benefit from the exploitation of those minerals should likewise be shared by all nations. Why then, against such firm opposition from the less developed countries of the world, did the United States opt for unilateralism instead of waiting for an international agreement to regulate the resources of the deep seabed? This paper proposes to examine whether unilateral exploitation by the United States of the deep seabed beyond the limits of its national jurisdiction is authorized by existing international law, and secondly, is such legislation actually necessary? Are the vital interests of the United Stntes served by such legislation or will the international reaction be detrimental to U.S.interests abroad