Norwegian politicians have won a preliminary parliamentary majority for a proposal to open up deep-sea mining in the Arctic region, triggering outrage from environmentalists, although the plans have yet to be given final approval.
The country’s minority government and two opposition parties took a significant step towards making Norway the world’s first nation to enable seabed mineral exploration on a commercial scale, despite global criticism from scientists.
On Jan. 4, the parliament is due to formally debate the proposal, which was amended to set stricter environmental survey requirements during exploration, Reuters reported.
“This is a disaster for the ocean, and shameful for Norway. The Norwegian government is not only ignoring hundreds of concerned scientists, but also showing disregard for its international obligations and national environmental legislation,” said Frode Pleym, head of Greenpeace Norway.
“By opening up for deep-sea mining, Norway has lost all credibility as a responsible ocean nation that signed the UN Ocean Treaty”, Pleym said in a statement.
Norway has proposed exploring mining across an area almost the size of the UK in the Arctic region, the environmental campaign group noted. However, the first extraction licences will need approval from the Norwegian parliament.
“This doesn’t end here. Across the Greenpeace network, we will work to stop every deep-sea mining project presented to the Norwegian parliament,” Pleym said.
“The wave of protests against deep-sea mining has just started to grow. Greenpeace has shown that we are ready to confront the industry on land and at sea, and we will not allow Norway to destroy the unique life in the deep sea, not in the Arctic nor anywhere else.”
The June proposal from the Norwegian government said environmental considerations will play a key part in enabling activity, with extraction only permitted following the demonstration of sustainable practices.
Deep-sea mining is controversial because little is known about its potential impacts on biodiversity, with the UN’s seabed authority last month failing to decide global rules despite mounting support for a ban.
Countries including France, Germany, New Zealand, and Costa Rica, have called for a suspension of all such activities.
Last week, WWF questioned whether Norway has the legal right to mine its continental shelf. Furthermore, the country is obliged to conduct environmental impact assessments, publish environmental information, and prevent harm across national borders, it said.
More than 800 marine science and policy experts from over 44 countries have signed a letter calling for a pause on deep-sea mining due to concerns about irreversible impacts on ecosystems functioning.
By Thomas Cox – t.cox@carbon-pulse.com
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