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The global shift toward low-carbon energy systems has intensified demand for critical minerals and put the oceans as a new frontier for resource extraction. For countries in the Global South, ocean mineral reserves offer significant economic potential but also pose profound uncertainties regarding ecological and social impacts. Governing these trade-offs requires an integrated understanding of how environmental processes, technological trajectories, and institutional frameworks interact across scales.  
This session applies a Social-Ecological-Technological Systems (SETS) perspective to explore sustainable pathways for ocean critical mineral development. We invite contributions that cover natural, social, and engineering sciences to analyze the coupled dynamics of ocean minerals extractions systems in the Global South. Topics may include ecological impact assessment, socio-technical innovation, governance of uncertainty, local and Indigenous knowledge, public awareness and values, and scenario modeling for adaptive management. 
By bridging disciplinary boundaries, the session seeks to advance conceptual and empirical insights that inform adaptive and science-based governance of ocean minerals. The discussion will highlight emerging frameworks and methodologies to guide the sustainable extractions of ocean critical minerals while safeguarding marine ecosystems and community livelihoods.