A huge blow to mining companies

August 11, 2023

Deep sea mining

By Layla Wade

Thanks to a growing movement to protect our oceans, we’re one step closer to a complete ban on deep sea mining.

In the beginning of August key ministers blocked mining corporations from digging, dredging and plundering the ocean floor in search of precious metals. [1]

What’s even better is, thanks to countries like France and a few others, next year's meeting already has a proposal to entirely ban deep sea mining on the agenda.[2]

This is a huge blow to mining companies. Corporations were gearing up to start mining the deep sea as soon as this meeting was over, but now they’ve been stopped. [3]

And this means that the marine life that lives in the depths of the ocean can continue to thrive, undisturbed by the humming noise and piercing light from the mining machines. Whales and dolphins can migrate unthreatened. And we can avoid near climate-catastrophe by keeping carbon in the ocean floor. [4]

This victory would not have been possible without this community and the tidal force of activists, indigenous communities, scientists, and NGOs standing up for the protection of our deep sea.[5]

But even as we celebrate a victory, we’re already thinking about the next steps.

Now that talks on banning deep sea mining are on the agenda for next year, it’s going to be all hands on deck. We need to bring as many countries on board before then and work hard to get more people on our side.

To get there, our staff team are already working on a new plan and strategy.

The race to the bottom has been called off, but we’re just getting started. This next year will be crucial.

References [1] https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jul/29/deep-sea-mining-international-talks-isa-jamaica

[2] https://twitter.com/ansroux_/status/1685335078505746432?s=20

[3] https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/jul/25/mining-companies-deep-sea-dangerous

[4] https://www.insider.com/oceangate-stockton-rush-titan-sub-deep-sea-mining-environmental-destruction-2023-7 & https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/7/10/deep-sea-mining-a-new-gold-rush-or-environmental-disaster

[5] https://www.greenpeace.org/international/press-release/60947/indigenous-pacific-leaders-call-on-countries-to-support-ban-on-deep-sea-mining/ & https://www.euronews.com/green/2023/08/02/deep-sea-mining-heres-which-countries-oppose-and-support-the-controversial-practice

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