Washington — As the world comes together for climate week in New York, one pressing issue on the agenda that is often overlooked is the environmental impact of seabed mining. With the increasing demand for critical minerals, which are essential for green technologies, the debate over accessing these resources on the ocean floor has become heated. While some argue that the technology exists to safely mine these minerals, others are concerned about the potential harm to undiscovered biodiversity. This topic will be a key focus during climate week, with discussions and roundtables planned to address the issue.
The use of critical minerals is crucial in the transition to a greener future. These minerals are used in a variety of green technologies, from solar panels and wind turbines to batteries in electric vehicles. And one place where these minerals are abundant is deep under the sea.
According to the World Economic Forum, if we want to reach net-zero emissions by 2050, two-thirds of vehicles must be powered by electric batteries. The International Energy Agency also states that the world will need six times more mineral resources by 2040 to achieve this goal. This is where the ocean floor comes into play.
The International Seabed Authority (ISA) reports that there are 21 billion tons of polymetallic nodules, or rocks, scattered across the seabed in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ). These nodules contain a combination of minerals used in electric vehicle batteries, such as nickel, manganese, copper, and cobalt. The ISA plans to release regulations for mining in the international waters of the CCZ by 2025.
Currently, the ISA has awarded 17 exploration contracts for polymetallic nodules in the CCZ, which is a large area in the Pacific Ocean between Hawaii and Mexico, roughly the size of the continental United States. Three of these contracts have been given to The Metals Company (TMC), a Canadian deep-sea mining company. The Pacific Island Nations of Nauru, Kiribati, and Tonga have sponsored TMC’s efforts to develop a portion of the seabed. In an interview with VOA, TMC’s CEO Gerard Barron stated that the company is ready to begin mining as soon as the ISA allows it.
TMC’s mining method involves using a robot to crawl along the ocean floor and use a jet of water to lift the nodules, rather than disturbing the seabed. Barron also mentioned that the company has spent the past decade testing this equipment and collecting data on its environmental impact as part of its permit application to the ISA.
However, critics are concerned that mining these mineral-rich rocks will disrupt important biodiversity, much of which is still unknown and undiscovered. Researchers have found that 90% of the more than 5,000 species in the CCZ are new to science. Eddie Palu, president of the Tonga Fishery Association, has called for a moratorium on seabed mining until more research is conducted on the environmental, economic, and social risks involved. Shiva Gounden from Greenpeace Australia Pacific also supports this call, stating that we know very little about the deep sea and that the race for the final frontier could cause irreversible damage to the Pacific communities.
However, scientists argue that the deep sea has very little oxygen and light, limiting the life there to mostly bacteria and small invertebrates. TMC’s Barron also believes that the impact of undersea mining is minimal compared to the threat of climate change. He stated that the company’s environmental impact studies show that they can safely collect the nodules and turn them into battery metals without harming the ocean.
Barron also added that the idea of zero impact mining is a dream, as the oceans are already impacted by various human activities, especially global warming. He believes that addressing the main driver of climate change and reducing emissions is crucial.
In the pursuit of accessing these minerals with minimal impact on the environment, there is competition between technology companies. U.S. tech startup Impossible Metals is testing a robot that can avoid nodules where it detects life and harvests those where it does not. This method minimizes concerns about sediment plumes. Another company, Viridian Biometals, has developed a technology that uses bacteria to separate metal ore from the rock without emitting any waste or emissions.
Both Impossible Metals and Viridian Biometals are a few years away from commercializing their technology, depending on funding. TMC, on the other hand, could begin
