{"id":1185494,"date":"2020-05-20T12:18:35","date_gmt":"2020-05-20T17:18:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mining.com\/?p=1024458"},"modified":"2020-05-20T12:18:35","modified_gmt":"2020-05-20T17:18:35","slug":"fresh-study-calls-for-moratorium-on-deep-sea-mining","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/juniorminingnews.com\/?p=1185494","title":{"rendered":"Fresh study calls for moratorium on deep-sea mining"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>A coalition of non-profit organizations is pushing for an international moratorium on deep-sea mining following a <a href=\"http:\/\/www.deepseaminingoutofourdepth.org\/impacts-of-mining-deep-sea-polymetallic-nodules-in-the-pacific\/\"  rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\">fresh report<\/a> that warns of potential irreversible damage to Pacific island states including Kiribati, the Cook Islands, Nauru, Tonga, Papua New Guinea and Tuvalu.<\/p>\n<div class='ad-slot' id='div-gpt-ad-1561499308230-0'><script>googletag.cmd.push(function() {    googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1561499308230-0');    googletag.pubads().addEventListener('slotRenderEnded', function (event) {        if (event.isEmpty) {            var id = event.slot.getSlotElementId();            var x = document.getElementById(id);            if(x == null) return;            if (x.parentElement.classList.contains('ad-slot')) {                x.parentElement.style.display = 'none';            }\t\t\t\t        }    });});<\/script><\/div>\n<p>\u201cAccumulated scientific evidence indicates that the impacts of nodule mining in the Pacific Ocean would be extensive, severe and last for generations, causing essentially irreversible damage,\u201d the report, commissioned by the Deep Sea Mining Campaign and MiningWatch Canada, found.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-pullquote alignright\">\n<blockquote>\n<p>Academics and scientists fear that deep-sea mining could devastate fragile ecosystems that are slow to recover in the highly pressurized darkness of the deep sea.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Polymetallic nodules \u2014 potato-sized metals-rich rocks that<br \/>\nlie in a shallow layer of mud on the seafloor \u2014 are believed to be rich in cobalt,<br \/>\nnickel, copper, manganese and rare earth metals. According to the US Geological<br \/>\nSurvey, as the deep-sea accounts for more than half the world\u2019s surface, its<br \/>\nriches are several times higher than those found in all land reserves combined.<\/p>\n<p>DeepGreen Metals, a Canadian start-up <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mining.com\/deepgreen-makes-run-at-battery-metals-from-seafloor\/\" >planning to extract cobalt and other battery metals from the seafloor<\/a>, believes that deep-sea mining has the potential to&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.mining.com\/extracting-battery-metals-from-seafloor-beats-traditional-mining-study\/\"  rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\">eliminate or&nbsp;dramatically&nbsp;reduce<\/a>&nbsp;most of the&nbsp;environmental and social impacts&nbsp;associated with&nbsp;traditional mining.<\/p>\n<p>Unlike other seafloor miners, the company doesn\u2019t want to<br \/>\ndrill, blast or dig the bottom of the ocean. Its main goal is to scoop up the small<br \/>\nmetallic rocks located thousands of metres under water.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Opposed views<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Mining companies exploring the seafloor argue the extraction of those deep-buried riches could help&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.mining.com\/extracting-battery-metals-from-seafloor-beats-traditional-mining-study\/\"  rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\">diversify the current sources of battery metals<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Academics and scientists, however, are concerned by the lack<br \/>\nof research on the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/mining.com\/new-zealand-deep-sea-life-needs-better-protection-mining-study-shows\/\"  rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">possible impacts<\/a>&nbsp;of high seas mining. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cExpectations that nodule mining would generate social and<br \/>\neconomic gains for Pacific island economies are based on conjecture,\u201d the 52-page<br \/>\nreport released this week by a coalition of 80 NGOs said. \u201cThe impacts of<br \/>\nmining on communities and people&#8217;s health are uncertain and require rigorous<br \/>\nindependent studies.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Predicting the Impacts of Mining Deep Sea Polymetallic<br \/>\nNodules in the Pacific Ocean\u201d, based on 250 peer-reviewed scientific and other<br \/>\nrelated articles, warns of severe and long-lasting impact on fish species. It<br \/>\nalso claims the activity could pose significant risks to marine<br \/>\necosystems&nbsp;due to the interconnected nature of the ocean.<\/p>\n<p>Two years ago, the European Parliament called for a ban on<br \/>\nseabed mining until the environmental impacts and risks of disturbing unique<br \/>\ndeep-sea ecosystems are understood. In&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.europarl.europa.eu\/sides\/getDoc.do?pubRef=-\/\/EP\/\/NONSGML+TA+P8-TA-2018-0004+0+DOC+PDF+V0\/\/EN\"  rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">the resolution<\/a>, it also urged the European Commission to<br \/>\npersuade member states to stop sponsoring and subsidizing licenses to explore<br \/>\nand exploit the seabed in international waters as well as within their own<br \/>\nterritories.<\/p>\n<p>Shortly after, an&nbsp;<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/mining.com\/experts-come-up-with-plan-for-protecting-deep-sea-life-from-mining\/\" >international team of researchers<\/a>&nbsp;published a set of criteria to help the International Seabed Authority (ISA), a UN body made up of 168 countries, protect biodiversity from deep-sea mining activities. <\/p>\n<p>So far, it has granted 30 explorations licenses \u2014 &nbsp;25 in the Pacific Ocean and 18 of those in the Clarion Clipperton Zone which stretches from Kiribati to Mexico.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It warns that the impacts of nodule mining in the Pacific Ocean will be extensive, severe and last for generations.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center 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