Activists from Greenpeace International, an environmental NGO, have launched a peaceful protest against deepsea mining.
The company has accused the activists of disrupting their research expedition by boarding its vessel on the ship.
As a result of the clash, the UN’s International Seabed Authority might expel Greenpeace from the group’s observer status.
Greenpeace International has been a part of the UN body responsible for overseeing controversial deep-sea mining plans.
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Why Deepsea Mining?
The protest is against a ship from The Metals Company (TMC) doing deepsea mining around the Clarion Clipperton Zone (CCZ) between Mexico and Hawaii.
The company wants to access the polymetallic nodules, potato-sized lumps of minerals built over millions of years in the seabed.
The company says the seabed contains crucial battery minerals like copper, cobalt, nickel, and manganese. It will use the metals to develop renewable energy technologies like electric car batteries, solar panels, and wind turbines.
With the growing demand for these minerals, any delay in such clean energy projects could lead to the failure to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.
TMC intends to employ large machines like massive vacuum cleaners to explore the ocean bed and gather the nodules. Most nodules are found between depths of 4,000m to 6,000m (13,123-19,685ft).
Numerous deep-sea ecosystems, such as abyssal plains, seamounts, and hydrothermal vents, contain significant amounts of these metals.
TMC argues that deepsea mining would cause less harm to the biodiversity and the environment than mining on land. It believes that mining is essential for transitioning into clean energy.
The company also claims it is conducting research before filing for commercial mining to ensure it would cause less harm to the marine environment in the region.
Meanwhile, 25 countries have signed a moratorium, precautionary pause, or ban against deepsea mining. A few of these countries are the UK, Canada, Mexico, New Zealand, and others. It includes adopting regulations for exploiting the ocean floor and access to scientific evidence on the impact of deepsea mining till the licensing.
A group of British scientists is also examining the species present in the abyssal plain in the eastern Pacific.
The Protest
The protest occurred on November 22, 2023, around the MV COCO, an offshore drilling vessel that gathers specialized data for TMC to apply for the ming permit.
The clash happened when Greenpeace activists boarded the TMC ship on the open sea. The Greenpeace ship Arctic Sunrise met with the offshore vessel COCO and disrupted the mining operation.
The activists used small boats to protest near the back of COCO and planned to send climbers to occupy the vessel’s platform. This effectively prevented the COCO’s crew from carrying out the data collection.
Greenpeace activists from Mexico, Argentina, South Korea, Norway, Poland, and the UK gathered to protest against deepsea mining with the message “Stop Deep Sea Mining.””
The TMC has filed a lawsuit in the Netherlands and got an order forcing Greenpeace to stop the protest.
TMC says that Greenpeace has disrupted their research by calling it “anti-science.”
Greenpeace’s take
Greenpeace argues that the protest was a peaceful action to protect the ocean ecosystem.
It says that deep-sea mining is not a solution to climate change and disagrees with the idea that deep-sea mining has any environmental benefits. It urges the restoration of the ocean floor instead of adding new pressure to it.
Greenpeace claims that commercial interests drive the Metal Company’s research. The campaigners say that deepsea mining can cause immeasurable damage to the remaining ecosystems on the Earth.
The campaigners believe sufficient minerals are on the land, and no such mining initiatives should be entertained.
This week, the country representatives at the International Seabed Authority (ISA) meeting will decide whether to take action against Greenpeace.
However, it is still unclear if ISA will finalize the regulations for deepsea mining by July 2025.
Despite all the opposition, TMC plans to apply for an exploitation contract with ISA after the meeting in July this year. If TMC gets approval for its application, it will soon start its deepsea mining without proper regulations.
