To mine or not to mine, that is the question. I am referring to mining one of the most valuable and extensive treasures that the world has ever seen. “[These treasures are located in the] Pacific Ocean, in a region between Hawaii and Mexico measuring 1.7 million square miles. So, what is this treasure”? [2] It is a sea nodule! Not just one but millions dot the ocean floor, like groves of broccoli and potatoes ready to be harvested. The total worth of these nodules is estimated to be between 8 to 16 trillion dollars.

What makes these nodules so incredibly valuable? They contain cobalt, nickel, manganese, and copper. These are the building blocks for most of the batteries used in electric vehicles today. As the world tries to move towards renewable energy, the demand for these critical metals has surged. Gerard Barron, the Australian CEO of the Metals Company is leading the charge. “A battery in a rock,” he claims, “[is] the easiest way to solve climate change” [1]. Barron’s metal company has been contracted to explore a few sites in CCZ, and he suggests that in these deep areas alone, there is enough cobalt and nickel to power 150 million electric vehicles—more than 3.5 times the number of vehicles on the road today, worldwide. Barron contends, “This is how we get away from fossil fuels” [1].

Many, like Barron, feel that seabed mining has emerged as a new solution to solving our climate crisis, especially since land sources for these metals are slowly dwindling. Therefore, the competition among countries and private companies to harvest these nodules is heating up. However, what impact will this have on the seafloor environment? Craig Smith, an oceanographer from the University of Hawaii, thinks that harvesting these nodules is like “strip mining on land”, ultimately wrecking the ocean and its ecosystem [1]. He believes this destruction would lead to a loss of sea creatures including ones that are newly discovered, such as Albino Octopus, squid worm, and Galloping Sea Urchin. In fact, many scientists agree it would endanger many of the 8,000 species of animals in the deep ocean. “This would lead to the possible disturbance of the deep-sea carbon cycle, one that is important in absorbing CO2 gases from our atmosphere” [3]. It would also hamper our ability to study these creatures, many of which have yet to be discovered. Over the last 50 years, these creatures have provided tens of thousands of chemicals which have been transformed into modern age medicines used to treat HIV, breast cancer, and COVID-19.

The controversy regarding deep underwater mining will reach its peak in the next one to two years, as technology to collect these valuable nuggets on a large scale is now available. So, is the fight against climate change worth the environmental damage it may ironically cause? Several companies including Google, BMW, and Volvo have already announced they will not use materials claimed from underwater mining. In addition, an ocean floor mining experiment conducted back in 1989 shows an ecosystem that was mined 25 years earlier still hasn’t returned to its original state. Therefore, even though there is serious momentum, it is important to consider whether these ideas should be put on pause.  I believe that we should proceed cautiously. I think it is important to leave the pristine ocean floor alone and come up with other solutions, such as a battery that runs on salt. 

Sources

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20230310-what-does-the-high-seas-treaty-mean-for-deep-sea-mining [1]

https://www.wri.org/insights/deep-sea-mining-explained [2]

https://www.cbs.com/shows/video/sl7XQRakccCaQK0ZYDGi_u5so44TnbNg/ [3]