Deep sea mining, Norway gives the green light to underwater extraction

Lindipendente

https://www.lindipendente.online/2024/01/11/deep-sea-mining-la-norvegia-da-il-via-libera-allestrazione-sottomarina/

Despite the international political debate, the protests of environmentalist associations and the studies of numerous scientists, Norway has become the first nation in the world to start the deep-sea mining:the controversial deep-sea mining of critical minerals that in the name of the energy transition it would risk damaging the environment.The decision was taken by Parliament with 80 votes in favor and 20 against and will allow the scraping of a marine area of ​​approximately 281,000 square km, which will be divided into lots which will be assigned to the mining companies responsible for extracting lithium, magnesium, cobalt, copper, nickel and all other rare earth metals present in the seabed of the Norwegian Sea.Currently, timing and deadlines have not yet been defined as there would first be the intention to "see if it can be done in a sustainable way".However, the news has already sparked the reaction from environmental organizations such as Greenpeace and the Environmental Justice Foundation, who defined the practice as "responsible for the destruction of the oceans" and marine fauna.

The deep-sea mining it's one controversial practice of extracting rare minerals that takes place on an ocean floor.Once the areas that contain significant quantities of the searched elements have been mapped, the companies proceed to scrape the seabed, moving polymetallic nodules, sulphides and cobalt crusts present up to 5,000 meters deep and sucking them through pipes that take them to the support ships.The International Seabed Authority (ISA), founded in 1982 under the aegis of the United Nations and made up of 36 council members plus the European Union, regulates extractive activities.

The measure follows one previous proposal which planned to open up a portion of 329,000 square km to deep-sea mining, later reduced to 281,000 square km, an area almost as large as Italy.While there is no public timeline of upcoming events yet, some experts say the next step could be to invite companies to submit bids for export licenses, which could happen as early as this year.All with the aim of extracting rare earth minerals present on underwater mountains and in sulfide deposits on Norwegian hydrothermal springs to “ensure success in the green transition”.Astrid Bergmål, Norwegian state secretary to the Minister of Energy, he declared:“We need to cut 55% of our emissions by 2030, and we also need to cut the rest of our emissions after 2030.So, the reason we look at seafloor minerals is the large amount of critical minerals that will be needed for many years."He then added that deep sea mining will come carried out with a "gradual approach" and that it will only be allowed if the Norwegian government can guarantee that it will be carried out in a "sustainable manner and with acceptable consequences".

However, the news sparked a reaction from environmental associations, citizens' groups and scientists, who underlined the risks to flora, fauna and the entire marine ecosystem.Concerns that are also confirmed in a recent one study conducted in Japan, which showed that animal populations decline where mining occurs and the practice leaves a larger footprint than previously thought.«It is embarrassing to see Norway positioning itself as a leader in protecting the oceans while giving the green light to their destruction in Arctic waters.But this thing doesn't end here.The wave of protests against deep-sea mining has just begun." he declared Frode Pleym, head of Greenpeace Norge.Steve Trent, CEO and founder of the NGO Environmental Justice Foundation added:«The decision is an irrevocable black mark on Norway's reputation as a state responsible for protecting the oceans.The deep-sea mining it's the search for minerals we don't need, with environmental damage that we cannot afford.We know very little about the depths of the ocean, but we know enough to be confident that mining will wipe out unique wildlife, disturb the world's largest carbon sink, and do nothing to accelerate the transition to sustainable economies." .Environmentalists say that would be a better strategy allocate greater investments to recycling and the reuse of existing minerals already extracted on land.The Environmental Justice Foundation, for example, estimated a relationship that 16,000 tonnes of cobalt per year, around 10% of annual production, could be recovered through better collection and recycling of mobile phones.According to researchers such as Peter Haugan - director of the Institute of Geophysics at the University of Bergen and director of the Norwegian Institute of Marine Research - the plans "go against scientific advice" and they could also be a “violation of the law” due to the lack of evidence necessary to assess the environmental impact.

[by Roberto Demaio]

Licensed under: CC-BY-SA
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