The Threats of Deep-Sea Mining | GRET | Dialogues on Mineral & Metal Resources скачать в хорошем качестве

The Threats of Deep-Sea Mining | GRET | Dialogues on Mineral & Metal Resources

There is growing interest in the mineral deposits of the seabed. However, research suggests that deep-sea mining – the process of extracting and often excavating mineral deposits from the deep seabed – could have harmful and unknown consequences for marine biodiversity and ocean ecosystems. The seabed, at ocean depths greater than 200m covering about two-thirds of the total seafloor, remains largely unknown territory, and the abyssal depths are home to a vital part of the ocean’s ecosystems. Deep-sea habitats host indeed most of the approximately 1 million ocean species. Their abundant biodiversity underpins the carbon cycle and provides provisioning, supporting, regulating and cultural ecosystem services. The deep sea is also the planet’s largest carbon sink. Parts of the dark seabed of the Pacific Ocean are covered with polymetallic nodules, containing metals such as manganese and cobalt, that are potential sources of critical minerals. Researchers have recently discovered that such nodules produce oxygen without sunlight, known as dark oxygen. Deep-sea ecosystems, which are poorly understood, are especially vulnerable to mining activities which destroy the seafloor, potentially releasing stored carbon and disrupting the ocean’s carbon sequestration processes. The energy-intensive nature of mining operations contributes to significant greenhouse gas emissions. Indigenous Peoples, subsistence fishers and small island developing States are also particularly vulnerable to the impacts of deep-sea mining, as they are heavily reliant on marine resources for food and livelihoods. The proposed extraction of deep-sea critical minerals poses therefore serious environmental, climate and human rights concerns, as highlighted by the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to a healthy environment, in her report to the 58th session of the Human Rights Council (A/HRC/58/59). Considering the potential for severe and irreversible damage, 32 countries have also agreed to a moratorium on deep-seabed mining. Leading experts joining the panel of this event will stress the risks of deep-sea mining and the violations of fundamental rights it can imply and highlight the effective protection instruments addressing the threats. More information: https://www.genevaenvironmentnetwork....