The International Seabed Authority (ISA) has elected the oceanographer Leticia Carvalho of Brazil as secretary-general for the period 2025 to 2028. She has more than 26 years of experience in environmental policy and sustainable development, including a leadership role in the UN Environment Programme.

ISA is an autonomous intergovernmental organization mandated by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea to manage the mineral resources of the seabed beyond national jurisdiction for the shared benefit of humankind.

Agreement has not yet been reached by ISA’s member states on a deep-sea mining code, and there is controversy over whether to mine the deep ocean for minerals because of environmental concerns.

“With independent scientists pointing to the risks of deep-sea mining, as well as the absence of a robust scientific understanding of these ecosystems, it’s time for states to zoom out from the technicalities of the mining code and instead address one basic question: Is it or is it not safe to allow this industry to proceed under the current circumstances?” said Emma Wilson, policy officer of the Deep Sea Conservation Coalition.

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