The Unconvincing Case of Deep-Sea Mining
As the earth cries desperately to be rid of fossil fuel pollution, we try to find new ways to create sustainable energy. But do all ongoing and upcoming efforts at innovative energy serve our planet and its economies? Maybe not. One such budding example is deep-sea mining.
Deep-sea mining is the process of retrieving polymetallic nodules from thousands of meters below the ocean surface; these ancient nodules are teeming reserves of nickel, cobalt, manganese, and copper. Other reservoirs of interest include polymetallic sulfides and mineral-rich crusts on seamounts. Several green energy initiatives require these metals in abundance, and hence, proponents of deep-sea mining claim it to be an inevitable necessity.
Once assumed to be devoid of life, the abyssal plane is now known to be the home of tens of thousands, if not millions, of sea life species. Mining activities are set to disrupt the ecological balance in this region. Simply encountering heavy machinery can kill less-mobile organisms, plumes produced by mining can smother life forms, and mining waste could poison and overheat the network acclimated to low temperatures. Light and noise pollution fashioned by mining could threaten audio-visio-sensitive species like whales.
Polymetallic nodules, which take millions of years to develop, are vital for the survival of long-lived, slow-reproducing abyssal creatures. Subtracting the nodules from the biome will certainly push some dependent species towards extinction. Sea surface fisheries and invertebrates will also be negatively impacted by the widespread pollution created by mining; commercial fishing and food security will be endangered.
The most significant risk is believed to be the impaired carbon sequestering capacity of the ocean. It takes around 10,000 years to form one millimeter of sediment layer, which sequesters carbon; mining would disrupt 10 centimeters of this layer, essentially undoing millions of years of carbon absorption.
The initiative is problematic both environmentally and economically; critics claim that the recovery cost may be as staggering as more than fifty percent of the value of metal quarried. Operations also pose considerable challenges; running complex machinery in erosive salt water at sub-zero temperatures and thousands of pounds of pressure is no gameplay.
Debates around the issue have introduced the most pressing question: "Do we really need deep-sea mining?" Some researchers assert that current terrestrial stocks of cobalt and nickel are sufficient to meet future demand, which may even fall owing to increasingly easier recycling processes. Evolving battery technologies like sodium-ion and the evident market shift from NMC to LFP batteries make deep-sea mining appear less attractive. Notably, The Metal Company has estimated the cost of deep-sea mining infrastructure to be around $8 billion; with this huge capital, the entire need for cobalt batteries can be exterminated.
Though the International Seabed Association (ISA) has yet to finalize regulations, nations like Nauru and Norway and several companies eagerly await a green signal. The collective knowledge of science-backed by extensive research will soon provide an answer; till then, we can only hope that the decision taken is right by the world's economies and ecologies.
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About the author,
Arisha Ali Rahi
A girl who loves writing, whether it be fiction or not. An introvert who floats away in her imaginary world. Navigating her writing journey by leveraging her experience as an academic subject matter expert.
