SAN JUAN (AP) — Brazil on Friday called for a 10-year precautionary pause on deep-sea mining in international waters, just days after companies and countries were allowed to begin asking for provisional licenses.

He made the call at a two-week meeting hosted by the International Seabed Authority, a United Nations regulatory agency based in Jamaica that has failed to adopt a set of rules and regulations to govern deep sea mining before the deadline expired on July 9.

The agency has not issued any provisional licenses or received any applications, although the Nauru government is expected to apply for a license soon through Canada’s Metals Co.

The government of this tiny Pacific island said on Friday it wanted to diversify its “limited economic base” but promised it would not sponsor any applications at the UN meeting, which ends July 21.

Nauru noted that its “good faith decision” does not mean that the authorities withdraw their plan to continue exploiting the seabed.

“We are no longer in a ‘what if’ scenario, but a ‘what do we do now’ scenario,” said Margo Deiye, Nauru’s permanent representative to the International Seabed Authority.

A growing number of countries and companies, including BMW and Volvo, are backing a moratorium on deep-sea mining, warning that deep-sea mining of precious metals used in electric car batteries and other technologies green could cause damage to the environment.

Brazil’s representative to the International Seabed Authority, Elza Moreira Marcelino de Castro, said her country supports a precautionary pause for at least a decade.

“Priority must be given to the protection of the international seabed until conclusive and comprehensive studies are available,” he said.

Scientists have warned that deep-sea mining could trigger dust storms and cause light and noise pollution, noting that minerals that grow at such depths take millions of years to form. Companies, however, said deep-sea mining was cheaper and had less impact than land-based mining, while some countries said it would allow them to grow and diversify their economies.

On Friday, several board members insisted that more scientific studies be carried out before any licensing is granted.

“Exploration should not start until it is guaranteed that there will be no loss of biodiversity,” said Siddharth Shekhar Yadav, a representative from Vanuatu.

The UN agency has issued more than 30 exploration licenses. Most of the activity is centered on the Clarion-Clipperton area, which covers 4.5 million square kilometers (1.7 million square miles) between Hawaii and Mexico. Exploration takes place at depths between 4,000 and 6,000 meters (13,000 and 19,000 feet).

The UN agency’s 36-member council is working on a proposed framework that would regulate potential seabed mining, but it’s unclear when it will be ready.

“Mining in the region should not take place in the absence of rules, regulations and procedures,” said Gina Guillén, a representative from Costa Rica, in a statement representing the position of more than a dozen country.

Australia’s representative said on Friday it was clear the draft rules would not be ready until the end of the meeting or the next, scheduled for October and November.