Freshwater quest, the likely new gold hunt

Sub: Geo

Sec: Oceanography

Undersea Freshwater Sources:

Substantial freshwater reserves have been discovered under the ocean, as evidenced by findings from the 1960s by the U.S. Geological Survey off New Jersey coast and more recent discoveries including a river under the Black Sea.
This river appears to be over a 100 feet deep and has a flow rate of about four miles per hour; about 22,000 cubic meters of water passes through this particular channel.
It would be among one of the largest rivers in the world when compared to land-based rivers.

Global Freshwater Statistics:

Of Earth’s total water volume (1.386 billion km^3), 97.5% is saline and only 2.5% is freshwater.
A mere 0.3% of freshwater is available in liquid form on the surface, highlighting the vast majority that resides underground, including beneath the ocean bed.

United Nations Law of the Sea Convention, 1982 (UNCLOS):

Adopted in 1982.
- It lays down a comprehensive regime of law and order in the world’s oceans and seas establishing rules governing all uses of the oceans and their resources.
- The Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea (DOALOS) of the Office of Legal Affairs of the United Nations serves as the secretariat of the Convention on the Law of the Sea and reports annually to the General Assembly.
UNCLOS, along with the Geneva Conventions on the Law of the Sea, 1958, govern international maritime law.
UNCLOS outlines the concept of the “Area,”(area beyond the EEZ of a nation or Area beyond natural jurisdiction of a country) defining it as the common heritage of mankind, intended for the collective benefit of all, including future generations.
This area is beyond national jurisdictions and largely unregulated concerning non-mineral resources such as freshwater.
The International Seabed Authority is empowered under UNCLOS to administer and control the activities in the Area.
UNCLOS prevails over the Geneva Conventions for signatory states (as per Article 311 of UNCLOS), but the United States recognizes only the Geneva Conventions, complicating international consensus on maritime law.

Regulation of Freshwater Under UNCLOS:

Exploration and exploitation under UNCLOS are restricted to “resources” defined typically as minerals.
It remains ambiguous whether this definition extends to freshwater.
The International Seabed Authority administers activities in the “Area,” but there’s no clear directive on regulating freshwater exploration for states adhering only to the Geneva Conventions.

BBJN Treaty:

Treaty on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction, commonly referred to as Treaty of the High Seas.
Legally Binding in nature
The treaty aims to address the challenges faced by the high seas, which constitute areas beyond 200 nautical miles from the exclusive economic zones of coastal countries.
So far, 88 countries have signed the treaty, with Chile and Palau being the only two to have ratified it.
However, at least 60 ratifications are necessary for it to come into force.
Objectives:
- The treaty seeks to increase the percentage of protected areas on the high seas, which currently stands at a mere 1.44%, despite covering more than two-thirds of the global ocean.
- Additionally, it aims to ensure fair and equitable sharing of profits from marine genetic resources (MGR) and establish rules for conducting Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA), which deal with identifying and evaluating the potential impacts an activity could have on the ocean.
- This aligns with the 30×30 target, it is a global commitment to protect at least 30% of the planet for nature by 2030. It was agreed upon at the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) at the Conference of Parties (COP15) to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity in 2022 and is included in the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.

Source: TH