Today Greenpeace UK activists staged a peaceful protest against deep sea mining outside the Mines and Money, Resourcing Tomorrow conference in Central London.
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The activists held placards saying “Stop Deep Sea Mining”, “The Metals Company is a bad investment” and “Your best investment is in ocean protection”. Deep sea mining is a nascent industry which threatens to destroy deep ocean habitats that we still know very little about. In parallel, Greenpeace International activists are in the Pacific Ocean where they have been carrying out a protest against The Metals Company for the past six days.
Louisa Casson from Greenpeace’s stop deep sea mining campaign said:
“As opposition mounts internationally to deep sea mining, this desperate industry is trying to maintain the illusion it has any future. Deep sea mining is not just bad for the environment, It’s also a terrible investment and bad business. Investors looking at recent developments will see a desperate industry, trying to maintain a fading illusion that it has any future.
The Metals Company and Norwegian firm Loke (owner of the UK’s deep sea mining company, UK Seabed Resources) both have representatives attending the conference, which is taking place despite dwindling share prices and the industry’s uncertain future. The UK government and Mexico recently joined growing international calls for a moratorium on the deep sea mining industry.
“Until recently, the deep sea mining industry relied on being an unknown threat, but Greenpeace is here to show the world the danger this industry poses to the oceans and the wonders that live in them,” Casson continued.
If deep sea mining was allowed to go ahead, vast areas of the ocean floor – one of the last untouched ecosystems on earth – would be stripped bare, damaging marine life and destroying unique ecosystems, as well as disrupting carbon cycles. The associated noise and pollution, including toxic particles dumped in shallower waters, would also impact ocean life all the way up the water column, including large mammals like whales and dolphins.This is why a wide range of governments are joining scientists and Pacific activists in their call for a moratorium on this risky industry.
The Metals Company had planned to submit an application this year to start mining but, following global opposition, the International Seabed Authority – the international regulator for deep sea mining – did not give a green light for the industry to begin. Instead, countries decided to agree on a deadline for rules to be completed first, pushing any decisions until at least 2024. TMC now plans to submit an application after the July 2024 ISA meeting, where discussions about a global moratorium will be on the agenda for the first time.
