Pradeep Arjan Singh — International ocean governance expert, Senior Project Manager at the Oceano Azul Foundation, and advisor to the IUCN. Pradeep works at the intersection of environmental law, global equity, and multilateral ocean negotiations.

* LinkedIn: Pradeep Arjan Singh – https://www.linkedin.com/in/pradeeparjansingh/

* Oceano Azul Foundation –https://oceanoazulfoundation.org

🧭 Episode Overview

In this foundational episode, Pradeep Singh takes us inside the legal architecture of the deep sea. We cover:

* How the ISA came to be and what it’s actually supposed to do

* Why the two-year rule was created and what it’s triggering has accomplished

* The U.S. vs the ISA process

* The difficultires of benefit-sharing and compensation mechanisms

* What to expect at this year’s council meetings

* What kind of research and financial modeling is still missing

Whether you’re policy-curious or professionally involved in seabed governance, this is a must-listen.

⏱️ Chapter Highlights

00:00 – From Malaysia to multilateral negotiations: Pradeep’s legal background04:00 – The role of Oceano Azul, UNFCCC, CBD, and BBNJ11:00 – UNCLOS, the ISA, and why deep-sea mining triggered global treaty-making27:00 – What’s missing from the regulations: enforcement, liability, and monitoring33:00 – Benefit-sharing and the $95k problem45:00 – The two-year rule: origin, misuse, and consequences55:00 – U.S. unilateral mining: legal and environmental risks1:02:00 – Debunking geopolitics and the myth of metal scarcity1:10:00 – What we still don’t know: scaling, cumulative impacts, and economic modeling

Theme music: Tamarack by Jesse Matas

🔗 References & Resources

* John Mero (1965) on seabed mineral wealth –https://www.sciencedirect.com/bookseries/elsevier-oceanography-series/vol/1

* Pradeep’s publication on the history and legal basis for moratorium: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00908320.2024.2439877

* Nagoya Protocol (CBD) – model for benefit-sharing

https://www.cbd.int/abs/default.shtml

* Earth Negotiations Bulletin – daily negotiation coverage https://enb.iisd.org/international-seabed-authority-isa-council-30-2

* Deep Ocean Stewardship Initiative (DOSI) – minerals

https://www.dosi-project.org/minerals/

* ISA Web TV – live council and assembly sessions

https://www.isa.org.jm/the-authority-web-tv/

* IUCN Briefings – DSM: https://iucn.org/resources/issues-brief/deep-sea-mining

Progress Amidst Challenges: IUCN Reflections on the ISA Council’s 30th Session (Part 1) : https://iucn.org/story/202504/progress-amidst-challenges-iucn-reflections-isa-councils-30th-session-part-1#:~:text=IUCN%20remains%20committed%20to%20the,a%20transparent%20and%20inclusive%20manner.

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