Customize Consent Preferences

We use cookies to help you navigate efficiently and perform certain functions. You will find detailed information about all cookies under each consent category below.

The cookies that are categorized as "Necessary" are stored on your browser as they are essential for enabling the basic functionalities of the site. ... 

Always Active

Necessary cookies are required to enable the basic features of this site, such as providing secure log-in or adjusting your consent preferences. These cookies do not store any personally identifiable data.

No cookies to display.

Functional cookies help perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collecting feedback, and other third-party features.

No cookies to display.

Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics such as the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.

No cookies to display.

Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.

No cookies to display.

Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with customized advertisements based on the pages you visited previously and to analyze the effectiveness of the ad campaigns.

No cookies to display.

Advertisement

UK attitude towards ocean mining revealed in landmark survey

The first poll asking the British public what they think about divisive plans to extract minerals from deep sea areas speaks volumes about awareness.   

This month, the International Sea Bed Authority (ISA) is set to meet and outline regulations that will be used to police a deep sea mining industry that has been proposed to help make stockpiles of minerals crucial to many technologies, including low-carbon, more readily available. 

Seascape of the ocean foam

Ahead of the event, which runs from 21st March to 1st April, social research experts ICM Unlimited has conducted the only existing survey on how UK citizens feel about the idea of extracting valuable materials such as nickel and cobalt from the bottom of the ocean. A process that threatens to cause major disruption, disturbance and damage to fragile ecosystems already under pressure from climate change, plastic pollution, and other human-made problems.

2,072 respondents engage with the study, which revealed that just 8% were in favour of activating the industry, with 73% suggesting they would support a moratorium on the sector until more is known about its impact. Just 50% of those involved were aware of deep sea mining as a practice, and 45% reported understanding that minerals, and therefore the extraction process, are needed for things like solar panels and electric vehicle batteries.

The last time the ISA met a number of countries also expressed concerns about the potential environmental effect of deep sea mining, with some scientists, companies, and organisations calling for an outright ban or temporary pause on developments. Clear risks of contaminating fish stocks, and therefore the food chain, have also been highlighted, along with gaps in our knowledge of life at the bottom of the ocean.  

Many have pointed to technological advancements in battery chemistry and recycling as evidence that deep sea mining may not be needed at all in the near future. Already, manufacturers including Renault, Volkswagen, and Volvo have pledged to run electric cars on batteries that do not require deep sea minerals. Some Tesla cars already use iron phosphate batteries, which are far less reliant on these resources.

In contrast, the UK government has actively encouraged nations to engage in negotiations and adopt mining regulations by 2023, with the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy supporting companies lobbying for rights to explore the potential of mineral-rich polymetallic nodules in the Pacific sea bed.  

‘Motion 69 at the IUCN World Conservation Congress last year overwhelmingly rejected deep-sea mining as a concept, with a huge majority of governments, government agencies and civil society voting in favour of a moratorium,’ said Dan Crockett, Development Director, Blue Marine Foundation. ‘The ISA secretariat and indeed our own U.K. government departments need to stop buying the false narratives pushed by the nascent industry and recognise this very clear mandate from the world.’

In related news, last year researchers demonstrated how ‘green mining’ – extracting minerals from volcanoes – could play a significant role in plans for a sustainable future. 

Image credit: Ross Sokolovski

Comments

Subscribe
Notify of
guest


0 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Help us break the news – share your information, opinion or analysis