'Country to lead Indian Ocean environment plan': Michael W Lodge

AHMEDABAD: Michael W Lodge, secretary general of the UN's International Seabed Authority (UN-ISA), on Tuesday said that India will lead regional efforts towards the environmental management plan of the Indian Ocean. He was speaking on the sidelines of the inauguration ceremony of the International Conference on Seabed Mining at Gujarat National Law University (GNLU), Gandhinagar. "One of our mandates is to collect data on seabed resources and the deep-sea environment. India has been a significant contributor of data especially about the Indian Ocean. We are looking at a collaborative programme with India in the lead to develop a regional environmental management plan for the Indian Ocean," Lodge told TOI. "It will involve countries associated with Indian Ocean and the Indian Ocean rim along with other players. We are organizing a workshop on this in Chennai in May." Lodge also praised India's National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR) and National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) for quality data on the sea environment. He added that emphasis on the Blue Economy in the context of G20 will require policy and legal expertise along with science and technology. Lodge said the Indian Ocean region can provide polymetallic nodules and polymetallic sulphides. Critical minerals such as copper, nickel, cobalt and manganese are present in vast quantities (in the ocean) and are needed for global energy transition. "India is not self-sufficient in nickel, and it is going create a big problem unless you can develop a domestic supply. The seabed contains all the nickel needed for India's domestic demand. If India wants to be a leader in critical minerals globally, it has the potential to do so. Similarly, India does not have any secure source of cobalt. But the seabed offers that source," he said. UN-ISA's academic collaboration with GNLU will entail capacity building and research collaboration, officials said. Prof S Shanthakumar, director of GNLU, said the collaboration will make a meaningful contribution to environmental, legal, economic, policy and regulatory aspects of seabed activities.