Deep-sea mining rules face major delays. While the International Seabed Authority aims for a 2024 "mining code," a recent meeting concluded with significant gaps remaining. As the U.S. fast-tracks its own plans, the risk of mining without global oversight grows.
Elizabeth Alberts reports for #Mongabay. https://mongabay.cc/rWiWBQ
@Grist @grist-Grist "A range of human activities pose a risk to life in, and the health of, the deep sea. Key among these are deep-sea fishing, the possible start of deep-sea mining, and a range of geoengineering plans proposed as solutions to the climate crisis that could impact deep ocean areas
The principal drivers of threats to the deep sea are the same across all these activities: governments prioritizing exploitation over ocean protection, failure to honor commitments, lack of transparency, and inadequately regulated exploitation and extraction. Many of these problems are rooted in the fundamental flaws of the current global economic model, where short-term gains for the powerful few override longer-term benefits for the many. Both individually and collectively, these failures are allowing and enabling the degradation of vulnerable deep-sea ecosystems."
#DeepSeaMining #OceanProtection #Ocean #Mining #Environment #Conservation
As the International Seabed Authority (ISA) opens its 31st Session, Greenpeace International is calling on member states to take firm and swift action.
#DeepSeaMining causes immediate loss of #SeafloorLife
by Eric Ralls, February 5, 2026
"Far below the ocean surface, the deep seafloor is often described as one of the planet’s least disturbed ecosystems. That assumption is now being tested.
"Companies are preparing to mine mineral-rich #nodules scattered across the abyss. The shift raises urgent questions about how quickly damage could appear once #industrial machines begin operating.
"A new field experiment offers one of the clearest answers yet. Researchers found that a single trial of a deep-sea mining collector physically removed more than one-third of the animals and species living directly in its path.
"The results show that biological impacts can occur immediately, not only after years of full-scale extraction."
Read more:
https://www.earth.com/news/deep-sea-mining-machines-could-erase-seafloor-life-in-hours/
#DeepSeaLife #OceansAreLife #WorldPol #NoDeepSeaMining #RecycleMetals #DeepSeaMiningMoratorium #OxygenSource #Extinction #PlanetEarth
It's not enough that #Fukushima #RadioactiveWaterDumping will continue for years (centuries?), now #Japan wants to mine the #DeepSea and kill even more #OceanLife? WTF!
Japan hauls rare earth-rich mud from deep sea in bold test mission
Story by BeckhamLangford
Feburary 3, 2026
"Japan’s own planners acknowledge the uncertainties. Jan briefings on the test mining plan stressed that, However, key aspects remain unknown, including the quality of the minerals and the economics of lifting and processing such vast volumes of mud. Mining the mud had previously been seen as too expensive compared with land-based deposits, and even with new technology, the cost of pumping, dewatering and refining the material at scale is still an open question. Analysts also point out that any move toward commercial production will face intense scrutiny from environmental regulators and coastal communities, who want clearer evidence on how sediment plumes, noise and habitat disruption will affect #DeepOcean #ecosystems around the site."
#OceansAreLife #JapanPol #NoDeepSeaMining #NoOceanDumping #FukushimaIsntOver #RecycleMetals #BuildTechnologyThatLasts #OceansAreLife #WaterIsLife #LeaveItInTheOcean #DeepSeaMining
#NoDeepSeaMining #RecycleCopper
#LifeOnEarth #Ecocide #DeepSeaLife #OceansAreLife #PlanetDestroyers #HumanGreed #NoisePollution #SedimentPlumes
Apparently we're going all in on disastrous seabed mining: "National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) this week finalised new rules designed to fast-track seabed mining permits.
Under the changes, companies will face fewer hurdles, with the number of required environmental assessments and public consultation periods cut in half.
And on top of that, US officials have announced a minerals survey covering some 30,000 square nautical miles off American Samoa." - https://www.abc.net.au/pacific/programs/pacificbeat/usa-fast-track-seabed-mining/106286288
It's nearly impossible to know the potential ecological effects of deep sea mining. They are going to be disturbing areas that have *never* experienced such massive intervention from humans....these places are the ocean equivalents of old growth forest. And these are ecosystems where all life processes happen extremely slowly (due to cold, pressure, etc.) - aside from places around gas vents. Plus, it's the ocean, so kicking up loads of dust and mixing things around can potentially affect literally all other parts of the ocean as things get moved around in the water.
We just don't know what effect it might have, at what scale, and with what consequences. But these guys are going full steam ahead to extract.
#ocean #DeepSeaMining #ecology #mining #extraction #USPol #environment
For the tiny island called "the tip of America's spear" in the Pacific, it can be hard to say no to the United States government.
So Guam's governor, Lou Leon Guerrero, expects a tough fight as the US territory pushes against a Trump administration-backed move towards opening nearby waters for deep-sea mining.
United States finalises new rules to fast-track seabed mining permits
Under the changes, companies will face fewer hurdles, with the number of required environmental assessments and public consultation periods cut in half.
And on top of that, US officials have announced a minerals survey covering some 30,000 square nautical miles off American Samoa.
https://www.abc.net.au/pacific/programs/pacificbeat/usa-fast-track-seabed-mining/106286288
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