Reporting on seabed mining dives deep

This edition was going to be a general round-up, but revelations about mining ocean rocks are teeming

Climate technologies require enormous amounts of metal. I’m Ian Morse, and this is Green Rocks, a newsletter that doesn’t want dirty mining to ruin clean energy.

This week will have a short edition, as it has recently been difficult to find time to prepare topics and sources. The good news is that many more people are beginning to write about the material intensity of the energy-as-usual transition.

Some of those people subscribe here. So, if any one of you are interested in writing or collaborating, reach out!

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First, I’d like to highlight a piece that was inspired by one of the most popular Green Rocks posts. It investigates how small Pacific Island countries became the ones to sponsor a major deep-sea mining company — and whether they are in over their heads. Sponsorship, for example, requires accepting some responsibility for this ocean extraction, which has colossal risks and unpredictable impacts. The company, DeepGreen or The Metals Company, has a valuation three times the size of the collective GDP of its three sponsoring states. What if the costs of clean-up are too much for Nauru, Tonga, and Kiribati?

As it turns out, Nauru was worried about this problem before many of us knew what deep-sea mining was. In 2010, it asked the UN body in charge of seabed mining to clarify: If Nauru or any country were to sponsor a miner, what liabilities would they bear? Surely, the delegation of Nauru declared, smaller countries wouldn’t be required to uphold standards as high as those of large, rich countries?

International lawyers disagreed. Nauru would have to enforce strict regulations just as Canada would, to select DeepGreen’s home country.

Top Nauru officials deliberated after the decision. A top official at the time told me that they sought no independent consultation, hearing only guidance from DeepGreen’s predecessor, Nautilus. In June this year, Nauru jumpstarted deep-sea mining, saying its contractor would apply for mining permits regardless whether legal institutions were ready for it.

Mongabay @mongabay

Citizens of countries that sponsor deep-sea mining firms have written to their governments & International Seabed Authority over concerns that their nations will struggle to control the companies & may be liable for damages to the ocean @ianjmorse reports: bit.ly/2Yz2s8w

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More deep-sea mining stories

Both The Guardian and Mongabay have recently funded major reports.

Elham Shabahat @eshirin

Deep-sea mining is on the horizon, but scientists face tough ethical choices on working with the nascent industry with implications for the transparency of deep-sea research. Latest for @mongabay. Thanks to @danieltpye for guiding this story.

news.mongabay.com‘Antithetical to science’: When deep-sea research meets mining interestsWhen Cindy Van Dover started working with Nautilus Minerals, a deep-sea mining company, she received hate mail from other marine scientists. Van Dover is a prolific deep-sea biologist, an oceanographer who has logged hundreds of dives to the seafloor. In 2004, Nautilus invited Van Dover and her stud…

Seabed Habitats @seabedhabitats

theguardian.comThe otherworldly species threatened by deep-sea mining – in picturesThousands of metres below the ocean’s surface, diverse aquatic species, from octopuses to coral, thrive in extreme darkness and cold. Amid plans to mine the seabed’s mineral riches, experts warn of the threat to lifeforms still to be documented

jonathanwatts @jonathanwatts

Race to the bottom: the disastrous blindfolded rush to mine the deep sea theguardian.com/environment/20… Loooong story by me on efforts to open up a frontier that will affect all of us.

theguardian.comRace to the bottom: the disastrous, blindfolded rush to mine the deep seaOne of the largest mining operations ever seen on Earth aims to despoil an ocean we are only barely beginning to understand

Elizabeth C Alberts @ECAlberts

“The world views us as a country that has a pretty strong moral compass for the environment,” says @philoceans. “So I think it’s appropriate for us to stand in place of caution on this issue." My @mongabay piece about NZ halting a bid to mine the seabed:

news.mongabay.comExperts see no way back for NZ firm blocked from trying to mine the seabedConservationists have expressed hope that a New Zealand company whose bid to mine the seabed was blocked by the country’s highest court last month has little chance of winning approval. The Supreme Court of New Zealand ruled unanimously on Sept. 30 to block consent for the mining operation that woul…

Kate Lyons @MsKateLyons

‘Shark calling’: locals claim ancient custom threatened by deep-sea mining A fascinating read by the always brilliant and intrepid @_diamontaro

theguardian.com‘Shark calling’: locals claim ancient custom threatened by seabed mining‘Shark calling’, a Papua New Guinea tradition of singing to sharks then catching them by hand, could vanish – and locals blame deep-sea disturbances

Dr Helen Scales @helenscales

Is deep-sea mining vital for electrifying the world's vehicles and solving the climate crisis? Funnily enough, mining companies say Yes. Scientists and car makers say No. Shifts are underway in EV battery tech. More progressive options are not far off.

theguardian.com‘False choice’: is deep-sea mining required for an electric vehicle revolution?Deep sea mining firms claim their rare metals are necessary to power clean tech – but even major electric car firms now back a moratorium

This series more generally on the science, money, and mining of EV batteries may also be worth your time:

Mark Dummett @MarkDummett

Brilliant series by @FT on this seismic shift This is going to have an impact on all of us - mostly positive - but risks too for those communities living next to the mines where battery metals are extracted.

ft.comThe electric vehicle revolutionWhy the market for battery-powered cars has suddenly picked up pace