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Pacific communities are telling world leaders to stop deep sea mining before it starts.
Deep sea mining is the practice of mining metals and minerals from the seabed. It’s an extremely destructive form of mining that would damage the oceans beyond repair, threatening their ability to help fight climate change.
Thousands of metres below the surface, deposits of metals and minerals like manganese, nickel and cobalt have built up on the seafloor into potato-sized nodules over millions of years. To mine these metals, gigantic machines weighing more than a blue whale would scoop deposits from the deep ocean floor. They’d then pump the mined material up to a ship through up to several kilometres of tubing. Sand, seawater and other mineral waste would then be pumped back into the water.
Deep sea mining is a very new industry. Apart from a few small tests, no actual mining has happened yet. But the companies involved are preparing to start full-scale production.
The International Seabed Authority is meant to be the regulator that protects the global oceans from the harmful impacts of deep sea mining. This week international negotiations are taking place to decide whether or not to allow the mining to go ahead.
This is a once in a generation opportunity to stop profit-seeking companies from destroying the oceans and a crucial defence against climate change.
Find out more: https://www.greenpeace.org.uk/challenges/deep-sea-mining/
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