Why is Norway’s deep-sea mining plan so controversial?

Is deep-sea mining our only option?

In a report published by The Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF), the organisation stated that deep sea mining will not be necessary to make a quick transition to clean energy.

Precious metals and minerals are available on land, but are only present in a select few countries.

Many stores are located in regions of conflict which makes obtaining them riskier. For example, the Democratic Republic of Congo is home to abundant reserves of cobalt, but conflict and forced labour are present in many parts of the country.

To overcome these obstacles the EJF recommended transforming the mineral industry into a circular economy with new technology and recycling programs.

It estimated that as much as 16,000 tonnes of cobalt per year – about 10 percent of annual production – could become available for use if improved collection and recycling programs for mobile phones were implemented.

The Environmental Justice Foundation went on to call Norway’s decision ‘an irrevocable black mark on [the country’s] reputation as a responsible ocean state.’

Steve Trent, the foundation’s chief executive and founder, said ‘Deep-sea mining is a pursuit of minerals we don’t need, with environmental damage that we can’t afford.

‘We know so little about the deep ocean, but we know enough to be sure that mining it will wipe out unique wildlife, disturb the world’s largest carbon store, and do nothing to speed the transition to clean economies.’

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has said that techniques used to harvest minerals from the sea floor will likely generate a great amount of noise and light pollution.

It will almost certainly cause damage to the habitat of organisms relying on deposits of minerals sitting on the seabed.

In a watershed moment, more than 120 EU lawmakers wrote an open letter asking the Norwegian parliament to reject deep-sea-mining projects over worries about marine biodiversity and the acceleration of climate change.

The letter also highlighted how its impact assessments were not comprehensive enough.

In light of the news, we can be sure that protests and more calls for a U-turn on the decision will emerge. Only time will tell if Norway’s government officials will listen.