This edited volume is possibly the first of its kind to synthesize the most current knowledge on the topic of underwater mining across natural and social science disciplines. Even within the social sciences, contributions vary across the fields of law, politics, governance, and human geography. Two distinctive features of this book are that it takes a broader approach to minerals (e.g., includes a chapter on sand and gravel as well as salt) and it includes underwater mining in other bodies of water (e.g., rivers and lakes). The book is timely as mining under water in both marine and freshwater systems is gaining traction worldwide, while the environmental and social impact of extraction activities in aquatic environments is being widely debated.

The first part of the volume includes contributions on the theme “Science, Technology, Environment, and Society.” Chapters include environmental concerns associated with sand and gravel mining in riverbeds, technologies for exploration of deep seabed minerals and monitoring, the polarization of science and the construction of engagement, and the interface between science and academia in the underwater mining discourse. The second part of the volume includes contributions on the theme “Law, Politics, and Governance.” Chapters include the geopolitics of seabed mining, underwater mining in the context of sustainable development, the regime for mining on the continental shelf, and the governance framework for industry. The third part of the volume includes contributions on several specific case studies. This encompasses mining interests in the Okinawa Trough, the Dead Sea, and the Mascarene Plateau.

This volume aims to provide key insights into the ongoing debate surrounding mining activities in aquatic environments.

Pradeep A. Singh has a background in international law and specializes in the law of the sea, international environmental law, natural resource law, climate policy, and ocean governance.

International Environmental Policy Series

Introduction, Pradeep A. Singh; Part I: Science, Technology, Environment and Society; 1. Mining the World’s Rivers: Environmental and Social Impacts, and the Need for Sustainability, Mette Bendixen, Chris Hackney, Lars Lønsmann Iversen and Jim Best; 2. Emerging Technologies for Exploration and Independent Monitoring of Seafloor Extraction in Areas beyond National Jurisdiction, Andrew Thaler; 3/ Developments and Future Technological Trends for Deep Seabed Mining, Nitin Agarwala; 4. Beyond Polarization of Science in Deep Sea Mining: Charting Constructive Engagement, Saleem Ali; 5. Science and Sensibility: The Relationship between Seabed Mineral Contractors and the Academic Community, Samantha Smith; Part II: Politics, Law and Governance; 6. The Geopolitics of Mineral Extraction in Areas beyond National Jurisdiction, Pradeep A. Singh; 7. The Deep Seabed Mining Code and Agenda 2030, Ana Elizabeth Batista and Maria Sol Iniart; 8. The Continental Shelf Regime: Internationally Infused National Jurisdiction, Klaas Willaert; 9. Framework for Governance of Deep Seabed Mining Industry, Nitin Agarwala; Part III: Case Studies; 10, Toxic Elements in Hydrothermal Deposits on the Sea Floor: A Case Study at Okinawa Trough for Green Mining in the Future, Satoshi Murao, Chiho Sato and Kazuo Nakashima; 11. The Dead Sea’s Minerals: The Blind Spot of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, Apoli Bertrand Kameni; 12. Governing the Extractive Industry in the Extended Continental Shelf: Mauritius and Seychelles in the Mascarene Plateau,Siqhamo Yamkela Ntola.