The writer is a marine biologist and chief executive of the not-for-profit company REV Ocean
Despite clear warnings from scientists that we lack the necessary knowledge, the Norwegian government is exploring the possibility of deep-sea mining in Arctic waters. If Norway goes ahead, exploration licences could be awarded this year to private companies, marking the start of a race for a new extractive industry in vulnerable waters. There are multiple reasons why this is a bad idea.
The deep sea contains exciting and diverse natural life, on a par with that found in rainforests. Many of these organisms are only found in the deep sea, and are specially adapted for life in their unique habitat. We risk losing these species forever — without ever knowing that some of them exist, or understanding the important role they play in the ecosystem.
We have no knowledge about the environment and biodiversity of 99 per cent of this area. About 90 per cent of the species residing there have not even been identified by science. How can one possibly assess the effects of mining on species, habitats or ecosystems that are unknown? This is why more than 700 marine science and policy experts from over 44 countries have requested a temporary moratorium on seabed mining. The UN Environment Programme, the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the World Economic Forum, the European parliament and the global High Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy have also concluded that more research is needed before we can assess its consequences.
What we do know is studies indicate that we cannot extract minerals from the seabed without incurring a net biodiversity loss. Imagine the damage that would result from the destruction of millions of square kilometres of natural habitats, which take centuries to millennia to be formed.
Plus, the seabed stores the world’s largest quantity of carbon. The ocean’s carbon balance could potentially be affected, if sediment begins to float up.
So the risks associated with seabed mining are enormous. Oversight is almost impossible. The extraction would take place in an extremely inhospitable environment, and there is no proven technology available today that can achieve it. According to the Geological Survey of Norway, the government has overestimated the resources available in the deep sea — and as far as I know, there is no reliable analysis showing that mining can be done profitably.
There is a false urgency behind the government’s push to begin deep-sea mining. In truth, seabed minerals will arrive too late to play an essential role in the green shift. Mining is not expected to begin in Norway until 2035 at the earliest, if at all. By then, the need for minerals is expected to have levelled off, as a result of new technology and increased recycling. Many battery manufacturers and tech companies therefore stand with the scientists in requesting a moratorium on such activity. Microsoft, Google, Samsung, BMW, Volvo, Ford, Phillips, Freyr and Northvolt have all excluded deep-sea minerals from their value chains.
Indeed, any nation that begins seabed mining may suffer reputational damage. A growing wave of countries including Fiji, New Zealand, Germany, Costa Rica, Chile, Spain, Ecuador, Finland and France are pushing to ban or pause the practice. The High-Level Panel’s recent report has warned that deep-sea mining conflicts with the aim of preserving a sustainable ocean economy and the UN’s sustainability goals. The European Commission has also said that it will ban the practice until the knowledge gaps are closed.
History has shown us countless times that once we understand the full consequences of our industrial activities, it is already too late. The Norwegian government must support a global moratorium on seabed mining until we have acquired the necessary knowledge. It is the right thing to do.
