Kate Moran, of Victoria; Aline Jaeckel, of New South Wales; Phil Williamson, of East Anglia; Marcel Jaspars, of Aberdeen; Pradeep A. Singh, of Bremen; Andrew S. Rivkin, Igor Lenchenko, Alice Gorman, Steven Freeland, of Western Sydney, Yelena Yermakova, of Oslo Published on February 28, 2022 By Tasha Wibawa, Sara Phillips and Charis Palmer, 360info Human ingenuity has allowed us to begin venturing into areas once only conceivable in the realm of science fiction, with the bounties of space, the deep sea and the polar regions now firmly in our sights. However, global discussion on how we proceed in these largely unknown settings is nowhere near a consensus. The rapid development of technology has now allowed plans to explore and harness the fruits of these ‘final frontiers’, both exciting and alarming the scientific community in equal measure. They’re vast unknowns with the promise of uncovering knowledge and valuable resources, including the potential to crack the case on global issues like climate change and food insecurity. But plans to proceed must be tempered by caution as those seeking riches cannot forge heedlessly ahead in places we are yet to fully understand. Ownership, access and control are already being tested. And in the absence of cohesive global regulation, it may prove to be more burden than boon. The ocean covers more than 70 percent of our planet, produces half of the world’s oxygen, regulates our climate, weather and supports all living organisms, but the deep-sea is one of the least explored areas of our globe. Deep sea mining is a relatively new field and the complete consequences of full-scale mining operations are still unknown. The International Seabed Authority, the global regulator established through the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, is under pressure to finalise regulations regarding the commercialisation of deep sea mining by 2023. There are roughly 27,000 chunks of space debris larger than 10 centimetres that can cause damage to orbiting satellites. There are roughly 8,000 satellites orbiting the Earth as of the end of 2021. In the next decade, there are plans to launch up to 100,000. The Antarctic Treaty, first signed in 1959, but now with 52 signatories, specifically prohibits military and nuclear testing activities in the Antarctic and guarantees continued freedom to conduct scientific research. Mining in Antarctica is banned indefinitely by the Protocol on Environmental Protection (the Madrid Protocol), an agreement that came into force in January 1998. There is a provision for this to be revisitied periodically, but it would require the unanimous agreement of all signatories. Quote attributable to Aline Jaeckel, University of New South Wales “When discussing how to manage seabed minerals, we need to consider the social implications of seabed mining, including on fish-dependent communities.” Quote attributable to Phil Williamson, University of East Anglia “Some [climate interventions] are are dangerous, some benign, and some might actually work in the way intended.” Quote attributable to Steven Freeland, University of Western Sydney and Bond University “The absence of appropriate guidelines and regulations for new proposed activities in space would heighten the risk of irresponsible behaviour in space, which could lead to irreversible adverse consequences for all of humanity.” Quote attributable to Igor Levchenko, Nanyang Technical University “Various industries will look to transfer their technologies to orbit to exploit the advantages of zero gravity, from 3D-printing biological tissues and organs to growing protein crystals for pharmaceuticals.” Quote attributable to Yelena Yermakova, University of Oslo “More pandemics, an escalating climate emergency and an increasingly fragmented geopolitical backdrop all lay the path for some troubling scenarios to play out in the Antarctic.” (Feature articles available for republishing under CC 4.0) TEXT: Scientists strive for negative emissions By Kate Moran, University of Victoria New Solid Carbon technology might be able to lock climate-warming carbon dioxide below ocean bedrock. TEXTByAline Jaeckel et al, University of New South Wales Seabed mining can affect fisheries and the flow-on social equity issues need to be addressed. TEXTBy Phil Williamson, University of East Anglia The deep ocean can be used for carbon dioxide removal from our atmosphere. Here are the opportunities, risks and constraints TEXTByMarcel Jaspars, University of Aberdeen The potential for new pharmaceutical lies in the ocean, but its biodiversity is unprotected and under threat. TEXT By Pradeep A. Singh, University of Bremen Deep seabed mining risks irreversible damage, monopolisation and exploitation. TEXTByAndrew S.