The Dangers of Deep-Sea Mining

With the transition to green technology, the demand for “critical” minerals is surging. In response, industry is turning to deep-sea mining, the process of extracting minerals (such as cobalt, manganese, nickel, gold, and rare earth elements) from the ocean floor. 

This dangerous practice threatens to cause irreversible damage to oceans, including destruction of to fragile marine ecosystems which would require extensive periods to recover, if at all. Deep-sea mining could have devastating impacts on biodiversity, disrupting carbon cycles and compromising the ocean’s capacity to mitigate climate change. 

Despite many countries calling for a moratorium on deep sea mining, and pledges from major companies such as Google and Samsung to avoid ocean-mined minerals, mining companies and certain countries are still pursuing permits from the International Seabed Authority. 

Deep-sea mining is a very new industry, and much is still unknown about its full consequences. As research continues to reveal more about the risks, we are at a critical juncture where decisions made now will shape the health of our oceans for generations to come. 

In this webinar, Farah Obaidullah discussed the current state of deep-sea mining and its potential environmental impacts.