Answer» Correct Answer - Option 2 : 2 and 3 only
The correct answer is 2 and 3 only. - Global Ocean Commission:
- Global Ocean Commission was an international initiative between 2013 and 2016 to raise awareness, and promote action to address the degradation of the ocean and help restore it to full health and productivity.
- Its focus was on the high seas the vast ocean areas that lie beyond the Exclusive Economic Zones of individual states.
- International Sea bed Authority’s mandate is to ensure the effective protection of the marine environment from harmful effects that may arise from deep-seabed related activities.
- States Parties to UNCLOS organize and control all mineral-resources-related activities through ISA. Hence, statement 1 is not correct.
- India has been allotted a site of 75,000 square kilometres in the Central Indian Ocean Basin (CIOB) by the International Seabed Authority (ISA) for the exploitation of Polymetallic Nodules (PMN).
- The Ministry of Earth Sciences is carrying out exploration activities for Poly-metallic Nodules (PMN) in the CIOB and for Poly-metallic Sulphides (PMS) in parts of Central and South-West Indian ridges.
- India was the first country to receive the status of a ‘Pioneer Investor’ in 1987 and was given an area of about 1.5 lakh sq km in the CIOB for nodule exploration.
- In 2002, India signed a contract with the ISA and after complete resource analysis of the seabed 50 per cent was surrendered and the country retained an area of 75,000 sq km. Hence, statement 2 is correct.
- It has been estimated that 380 million metric tonnes of PMN and rare earth minerals are available at the bottom of the seas in the Central Indian Ocean. Hence, statement 3 is correct.
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