Latest news with #PiersDunstan
NDTV
07-07-2025
- Science
- NDTV
Why Deep-Sea Mining Is Risky, Unnecessary And Harmful To Oceans
Sydney/Toronto: Deep-sea mining promises critical minerals for the energy transition without the problems of mining on land. It also promises to bring wealth to developing nations. But the evidence suggests these promises are false, and mining would harm the environment. The practice involves scooping up rock-like nodules from vast areas of the sea floor. These potato-sized lumps contain metals and minerals such as zinc, manganese, molybdenum, nickel and rare earth elements. Technology to mine the deep sea exists, but commercial mining of the deep sea is not happening anywhere in the world. That could soon change. Nations are meeting this month in Kingston, Jamaica, to agree to a mining code. Such a code would make way for mining to begin within the next few years. On Thursday, Australia's national science agency, CSIRO, released research into the environmental impacts of deep-sea mining. It aims to promote better environmental management of deep-sea mining, should it proceed. We have previously challenged the rationale for deep-sea mining, drawing on our expertise in international politics and environmental management. We argue mining the deep sea is harmful and the economic benefits have been overstated. What's more, the metals and minerals to be mined are not scarce. The best course of action is a ban on international seabed mining, building on the coalition for a moratorium. Managing and monitoring environmental harm Recent advances in technology have made deep-sea mining more feasible. But removing the nodules - which also requires pumping water around - has been shown to damage the seabed and endanger marine life. CSIRO has developed the first environmental management and monitoring frameworks to protect deep sea ecosystems from mining. It aims to provide "trusted, science-based tools to evaluate the environmental risks and viability of deep-sea mining". Scientists from Griffith University, Museums Victoria, the University of the Sunshine Coast, and Earth Sciences New Zealand were also involved in the work. The Metals Company Australia, a local subsidiary of the Canadian deep-sea mining exploration company, commissioned the research. It involved analysing data from test mining the company carried out in the Pacific Ocean in 2022. The company has led efforts to expedite deep-sea mining. This includes pushing for the mining code, and exploring commercial mining of the international seabed through approval from the US government. In a media briefing this week, CSIRO Senior Principal Research Scientist Piers Dunstan said the mining activity substantially affected the sea floor. Some marine life, especially that attached to the nodules, had very little hope of recovery. He said if mining were to go ahead, monitoring would be crucial. We are sceptical that ecological impacts can be managed even with this new framework. Little is known about life in these deep-water ecosystems. But research shows nodule mining would cause extensive habitat loss and damage. Do we really need to open the ocean frontier to mining? We argue the answer is no, on three counts. 1. Minerals are not scarce The minerals required for the energy transition are abundant on land. Known global terrestrial reserves of cobalt, copper, manganese, molybdenum and nickel are enough to meet current production levels for decades - even with growing demand. There is no compelling reason to extract deep-sea minerals, given the economics of both deep-sea and land-based mining. Deep-sea mining is speculative and inevitably too expensive given such remote, deep operations. Claims about mineral scarcity are being used to justify attempting to legitimise a new extractive frontier in the deep sea. Opportunistic investors can make money through speculation and attracting government subsidies. 2. Mining at sea will not replace mining on land Proponents claim deep-sea mining can replace some mining on land. Mining on land has led to social issues including infringing on indigenous and community rights. It also damages the environment. But deep-sea mining will not necessarily displace, replace or change mining on land. Land-based mining contracts span decades and the companies involved will not abandon ongoing or planned projects. Their activities will continue, even if deep-sea mining begins. Deep-sea mining also faces many of the same challenges as mining on land, while introducing new problems. The social problems that arise during transport, processing and distribution remain the same. And sea-based industries are already rife with modern slavery and labour violations, partly because they are notoriously difficult to monitor. Deep-sea mining does not solve social problems with land-based mining, and adds more challenges. 3. Common heritage of humankind and the Global South Under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, the international seabed is the common heritage of humankind. This means the proceeds of deep-sea mining should be distributed fairly among all countries. Deep-sea mining commercial partnerships between developing countries in the Global South and firms from the North have yet to pay off for the former. There is little indication this pattern will change. For example, when Canadian company Nautilus went bankrupt in 2019, it saddled Papua New Guinea with millions in debt from a failed domestic deep-sea mining venture. The Metals Company has partnerships with Nauru and Tonga but the latest deal with the US creates uncertainty about whether their agreements will be honoured. European investors took control of Blue Minerals Jamaica, originally a Jamaican-owned company, shortly after orchestrating its start up. Any profits would therefore go offshore. A Wise investment? It is unclear whether deep-sea mining will ever be a good investment. Multiple large corporate investors have pulled out of the industry, or gone bankrupt. And The Metals Company has received delisting notices from the Nasdaq stock exchange due to poor financial performance. Given the threat of environmental harm, the evidence suggests deep-sea mining is not worth the risk. (Author: Justin Alger, Associate Professor / Senior Lecturer in Global Environmental Politics, The University of Melbourne; D.G. Webster, Associate Professor, Environmental Studies, Dartmouth College; Jessica Green, Professor, Political Science; Kate J Neville, Associate Professor of Environmental Politics, University of Toronto; Stacy D VanDeveer, Professor of Global Governance & Human Security , UMass Boston, and Susan M Park, Professor of Global Governance, University of Sydney) (Disclaimer Statement: Justin Alger receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. D.G. Webster receives funding from the National Science Foundation in the United States and various internal funding sources at Dartmouth University. Jessica Green receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. Kate J Neville receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. Stacy D VanDeveer and Susan M Park do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.)
Malay Mail
04-07-2025
- Science
- Malay Mail
Deep-sea mining may harm marine life from seabed creatures to sharks, Aussie study finds
SYDNEY, July 4 — Deep-sea mining could impact marine life stretching from the tiniest bottom dwellers to apex predators like swordfish and sharks, a major piece of industry-funded research found yesterday. The Metals Company—a leading deep-sea mining firm—paid Australia's government science agency to pore through data collected during test mining in the remote Pacific Ocean. Huge tracts of Pacific Ocean seabed are carpeted in polymetallic nodules, bulbous lumps of rock that are rich in metals used in battery production—such as cobalt and nickel. The Metals Company is pushing to be the first to mine these nodules in international waters, striving to exploit a remote expanse known as the Clarion-Clipperton Zone. Australia's government science agency released a series of technical reports yesterday detailing how mining could be managed. Bottom-dwellers such as sea cucumbers, marine worms, starfish and crustaceans could see 'significant declines in abundance immediately following mining', research found. Some of these species would partially bounce back within a year, but filter feeders and other tiny organisms that feast on seabed sediments showed 'minimal recovery'. 'On the seafloor, our research shows that there are substantial local impacts from different mining operations,' scientist Piers Dunstan said during a briefing. Deep-sea mining companies are still figuring out the best way to retrieve nodules that can lie five kilometres (three miles) or more beneath the waves. Most efforts focus on robotic harvesting machines, or crawlers, which hoover up nodules as they rove the ocean floor. The Australian scientists looked at how sharks and fish might be harmed by plumes of sediment discharged as mining waste. In some scenarios, apex predators could see toxic metals start to build up in their blood after prolonged exposure to these plumes. 'Long-lived top predators, such as swordfish and large sharks, accumulated the highest simulated metal concentrations,' scientists noted in one report. Risk of harm Simulations showed blood metal concentrations would not exceed international health guidelines, and impacts were less pronounced if sediment was discharged at a greater depth. 'This project helps ensure that if deep-sea mining were to go ahead, there is a clear approach to understand potential risks and impacts to marine life and ecosystems,' Dunstan said. Canada-based The Metals Company is striving to start industrial deep-sea mining in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone within the next two years. The International Seabed Authority—which oversees deep-sea mining in international waters—has yet to adopt long-awaited rules governing the industry. The Metals Company has indicated it could forge ahead even without the authority's approval, pointing to an obscure US law that says American citizens can recover seabed minerals in areas beyond the nation's jurisdiction. The firm paid Australia's Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation—or CSIRO—around US$1 million to compile the reports. CSIRO stressed it was not for, or against, deep-sea mining—but that its work would help to measure and monitor impacts should it go ahead. Energy transition expert Tina Soliman-Hunter said it was one of the 'most comprehensive' pieces of research on deep-sea mining to date. 'Without such research, there is a risk of harm from mining activities that can persist for generations,' said Soliman-Hunter, from Australia's Macquarie University. Found in international waters between Mexico and Hawaii, the Clarion-Clipperton Zone is a vast abyssal plain spanning some 4 million square kilometres (1.7 million square miles). — AFP
Time of India
03-07-2025
- Science
- Time of India
'Significant declines' in some species after deep-sea mining: research
Deep-sea mining could impact marine life stretching from the tiniest bottom dwellers to apex predators like swordfish and sharks, a major piece of industry-funded research found Thursday. The Metals Company -- a leading deep-sea mining firm -- paid Australia's government science agency to pore through data collected during test mining in the remote Pacific Ocean. Huge tracts of Pacific Ocean seabed are carpeted in polymetallic nodules, bulbous lumps of rock that are rich in metals used in battery production -- such as cobalt and nickel. The Metals Company is pushing to be the first to mine these nodules in international waters, striving to exploit a remote expanse known as the Clarion-Clipperton Zone . by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Free P2,000 GCash eGift UnionBank Credit Card Apply Now Undo Australia's government science agency released a series of technical reports on Thursday detailing how mining could be managed. Bottom-dwellers such as sea cucumbers, marine worms, starfish and crustaceans could see "significant declines in abundance immediately following mining", research found. Some of these species would partially bounce back within a year, but filter feeders and other tiny organisms that feast on seabed sediments showed "minimal recovery". "On the seafloor, our research shows that there are substantial local impacts from different mining operations," scientist Piers Dunstan said during a briefing. Deep-sea mining companies are still figuring out the best way to retrieve nodules that can lie five kilometres (three miles) or more beneath the waves. Most efforts focus on robotic harvesting machines, or crawlers, which hoover up nodules as they rove the ocean floor. The Australian scientists looked at how sharks and fish might be harmed by plumes of sediment discharged as mining waste. In some scenarios, apex predators could see toxic metals start to build up in their blood after prolonged exposure to these plumes. "Long-lived top predators, such as swordfish and large sharks, accumulated the highest simulated metal concentrations," scientists noted in one report. 'Risk of harm' Simulations showed blood metal concentrations would not exceed international health guidelines, and impacts were less pronounced if sediment was discharged at a greater depth. "This project helps ensure that if deep-sea mining were to go ahead, there is a clear approach to understand potential risks and impacts to marine life and ecosystems," Dunstan said. Canada-based The Metals Company is striving to start industrial deep-sea mining in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone within the next two years. The International Seabed Authority -- which oversees deep-sea mining in international waters -- has yet to adopt long-awaited rules governing the industry. The Metals Company has indicated it could forge ahead even without the authority's approval, pointing to an obscure US law that says American citizens can recover seabed minerals in areas beyond the nation's jurisdiction. The firm paid Australia's Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation -- or CSIRO -- around US$1 million to compile the reports. CSIRO stressed it was not for, or against, deep-sea mining -- but that its work would help to measure and monitor impacts should it go ahead. Energy transition expert Tina Soliman-Hunter said it was one of the "most comprehensive" pieces of research on deep-sea mining to date. "Without such research, there is a risk of harm from mining activities that can persist for generations," said Soliman-Hunter, from Australia's Macquarie University. Found in international waters between Mexico and Hawaii, the Clarion-Clipperton Zone is a vast abyssal plain spanning some 4 million square kilometres (1.7 million square miles).
Yahoo
03-07-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
'Significant declines' in some species after deep-sea mining: research
Deep-sea mining could impact marine life stretching from the tiniest bottom dwellers to apex predators like swordfish and sharks, a major piece of industry-funded research found Thursday. The Metals Company -- a leading deep-sea mining firm -- paid Australia's government science agency to pore through data collected during test mining in the remote Pacific Ocean. Huge tracts of Pacific Ocean seabed are carpeted in polymetallic nodules, bulbous lumps of rock that are rich in metals used in battery production -- such as cobalt and nickel. The Metals Company is pushing to be the first to mine these nodules in international waters, striving to exploit a remote expanse known as the Clarion-Clipperton Zone. Australia's government science agency released a series of technical reports on Thursday detailing how mining could be managed. Bottom-dwellers such as sea cucumbers, marine worms, starfish and crustaceans could see "significant declines in abundance immediately following mining", research found. Some of these species would partially bounce back within a year, but filter feeders and other tiny organisms that feast on seabed sediments showed "minimal recovery". "On the seafloor, our research shows that there are substantial local impacts from different mining operations," scientist Piers Dunstan said during a briefing. Deep-sea mining companies are still figuring out the best way to retrieve nodules that can lie five kilometres (three miles) or more beneath the waves. Most efforts focus on robotic harvesting machines, or crawlers, which hoover up nodules as they rove the ocean floor. The Australian scientists looked at how sharks and fish might be harmed by plumes of sediment discharged as mining waste. In some scenarios, apex predators could see toxic metals start to build up in their blood after prolonged exposure to these plumes. "Long-lived top predators, such as swordfish and large sharks, accumulated the highest simulated metal concentrations," scientists noted in one report. - 'Risk of harm' - Simulations showed blood metal concentrations would not exceed international health guidelines, and impacts were less pronounced if sediment was discharged at a greater depth. "This project helps ensure that if deep-sea mining were to go ahead, there is a clear approach to understand potential risks and impacts to marine life and ecosystems," Dunstan said. Canada-based The Metals Company is striving to start industrial deep-sea mining in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone within the next two years. The International Seabed Authority -- which oversees deep-sea mining in international waters -- has yet to adopt long-awaited rules governing the industry. The Metals Company has indicated it could forge ahead even without the authority's approval, pointing to an obscure US law that says American citizens can recover seabed minerals in areas beyond the nation's jurisdiction. The firm paid Australia's Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation -- or CSIRO -- around US$1 million to compile the reports. CSIRO stressed it was not for, or against, deep-sea mining -- but that its work would help to measure and monitor impacts should it go ahead. Energy transition expert Tina Soliman-Hunter said it was one of the "most comprehensive" pieces of research on deep-sea mining to date. "Without such research, there is a risk of harm from mining activities that can persist for generations," said Soliman-Hunter, from Australia's Macquarie University. Found in international waters between Mexico and Hawaii, the Clarion-Clipperton Zone is a vast abyssal plain spanning some 4 million square kilometres (1.7 million square miles). sft/djw/dhc
Observer
03-07-2025
- Science
- Observer
'Significant declines' in some species after deep-sea mining: research
Deep-sea mining could impact marine life stretching from the tiniest bottom dwellers to apex predators like swordfish and sharks, a major piece of industry-funded research found Thursday. The Metals Company -- a leading deep-sea mining firm -- paid Australia's government science agency to pore through data collected during test mining in the remote Pacific Ocean. Huge tracts of Pacific Ocean seabed are carpeted in polymetallic nodules, bulbous lumps of rock that are rich in metals used in battery production -- such as cobalt and nickel. The Metals Company is pushing to be the first to mine these nodules in international waters, striving to exploit a remote expanse known as the Clarion-Clipperton Zone. Australia's government science agency released a series of technical reports on Thursday detailing how mining could be managed. Bottom-dwellers such as sea cucumbers, marine worms, starfish and crustaceans could see "significant declines in abundance immediately following mining", research found. Some of these species would partially bounce back within a year, but filter feeders and other tiny organisms that feast on seabed sediments showed "minimal recovery". "On the seafloor, our research shows that there are substantial local impacts from different mining operations," scientist Piers Dunstan said during a briefing. Deep-sea mining companies are still figuring out the best way to retrieve nodules that can lie five kilometres (three miles) or more beneath the waves. Most efforts focus on robotic harvesting machines, or crawlers, which hoover up nodules as they rove the ocean floor. The Australian scientists looked at how sharks and fish might be harmed by plumes of sediment discharged as mining waste. In some scenarios, apex predators could see toxic metals start to build up in their blood after prolonged exposure to these plumes. "Long-lived top predators, such as swordfish and large sharks, accumulated the highest simulated metal concentrations," scientists noted in one report. Simulations showed blood metal concentrations would not exceed international health guidelines, and impacts were less pronounced if sediment was discharged at a greater depth. "This project helps ensure that if deep-sea mining were to go ahead, there is a clear approach to understand potential risks and impacts to marine life and ecosystems," Dunstan said. Canada-based The Metals Company is striving to start industrial deep-sea mining in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone within the next two years. The International Seabed Authority -- which oversees deep-sea mining in international waters -- has yet to adopt long-awaited rules governing the industry. The Metals Company has indicated it could forge ahead even without the authority's approval, pointing to an obscure US law that says American citizens can recover seabed minerals in areas beyond the nation's jurisdiction. The firm paid Australia's Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation -- or CSIRO -- around US$1 million to compile the reports. CSIRO stressed it was not for, or against, deep-sea mining -- but that its work would help to measure and monitor impacts should it go ahead. Energy transition expert Tina Soliman-Hunter said it was one of the "most comprehensive" pieces of research on deep-sea mining to date. "Without such research, there is a risk of harm from mining activities that can persist for generations," said Soliman-Hunter, from Australia's Macquarie University. Found in international waters between Mexico and Hawaii, the Clarion-Clipperton Zone is a vast abyssal plain spanning some 4 million square kilometres (1.7 million square miles). sft/djw/dhc
