Norway is set to become the first country in the world to commit to commercial deep-sea mining after a coalition of Norwegian political parties approved plans to allow full-scale mining in the seas north of Europe.

The idea of deep-sea mining has long been controversial. For much of the last 100 years, it was seen as extraordinarily difficult — and likely unprofitable. Environmentalists have argued that deep-sea mining will ravage natural eco-systems, with unexpected and potentially catastrophic consequences for life on Earth.

A major paper written on the topic argues that deep-sea mining will become a “new global gold rush” that “shares many features with past resource scrambles – including a general disregard for environmental and social impacts.”

On the other hand, Walter Sognnes, the CEO of a Norwegian seabed mining company, said that “deep sea minerals... [could become] a provider of critical minerals for the green energy transition.”

So, what is Deep-Sea Mining?

Deep-sea mining is the extraction of valuable minerals like copper, nickel, cobalt, and other rare earth elements from the ocean floor. There are three main types:

1. polymetallic nodule mining (collecting potato-sized nodules)

2. polymetallic sulphide mining (extracting minerals from hydrothermal vents)

3. cobalt-rich ferromanganese crust mining (removing crusts from seamounts)

One of the main attractions of deep-sea mining is the abundance of polymetallic nodules scattered across the abyssal plains. These potato-sized nodules are rich in nickel, copper, and other essential metals.

The allure of harvesting these nodules lies in their high metal content, with estimates suggesting that they contain higher concentrations of copper and nickel than many terrestrial mines.

Accessing these resources could potentially alleviate the strain on terrestrial mining operations and help meet the increasing demand for metals critical to modern infrastructure — particularly for the minerals needed for electric vehicles (EVs), EV batteries, solar panels, and other elements of the green transition.

What’s so hard about Deep-Sea Mining?

Unsurprisingly, it's really hard to operate a mine in the ocean. Any equipment that goes to the sea-floor must be capable of withstanding extreme pressure, a lack of light, corrosive seawater, and low temperatures.

Deep-sea mining operators also have to get the mined minerals up to the surface, which is no easy task. Companies are developing the technology needed to mine and transport minerals in the ocean, and progress is still ongoing.

Environmental concerns about Deep-Sea Mining

At the same time that companies and countries alike are looking to deep-sea mining as a potential source of wealth and rare minerals, environmentalists and conservationists are pointing to the obvious threats that the practice would pose to oceanic ecosystems.

There are several ways that deep-sea mining could harm oceanic environments:

• Habitat destruction that would reduce biodiversity on the seafloor

• Sediment plumes produced by mining that could negatively impact sea creatures and biodiversity throughout the ocean

• Chemical pollution

• Light pollution in parts of the ocean that are typically dark

• The release of carbon in the sea-floor into the ocean and ultimately the atmosphere

In addition to these factors, there are concerns that deep-sea ecosystems have much slower natural recovery rates than terrestrial ecosystems.

One study, conducted in the mineral-rich Clarion-Clipperton Zone between Hawaii and Mexico, found that deep-sea ecosystems did not return to their previous state 26 years after deep-sea mining simulations took place.

Activists have pushed countries to sign on to the UN’s Marine Biodiversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction after decades of work on the issue. It remains to be seen whether this treaty will be able to stop the growth of the deep-sea mining industry as technological advances finally make it feasible for companies to explore — and, arguably, exploit — the ocean floor.

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