Source: Proposed deep-sea mining would kill animals not yet discovered
…But the dawn of industrial deep-sea mining may come soon, thanks in part to the demand for minerals to supply the green energy transition. On June 25, 2021, the tiny Pacific nation of Nauru exercised its right as a member of the ISA to trigger a countdown, essentially forcing the agency to complete the necessary regulations within two years. Nauru’s contractor, TMC, recently went public and is telling potential investors that it expects to start harvesting nodules as early as 2024. The startup also holds exploration licenses through Tonga and Kiribati, two other Pacific island states. It estimates that its three contract areas host enough nodules to electrify 280 million vehicles.
Nauru’s push to fast-track mining rules has environmentalists and scientists sounding the alarm even louder. More than 620 marine scientists and policy experts from 44 countries have since signed a statement calling for a halt to all mining efforts until the ecological consequences are better understood. Dozens of government agencies and the European Parliament support a moratorium, and several manufacturing companies, including Ford, Samsung and Google, have said they won’t source minerals from the deep sea.
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