Arctic biodiversity under threat from deep-sea mining plans, Greenpeace report warns

Barents Sea, Arctic - Norway deep sea mining plans in the Arctic will cause irreversible harm to biodiversity, a new Greenpeace International report warns. Deep Sea Mining in the Arctic: Living Treasures at Risk dives deep into one of the most diverse, vulnerable, rare, remote, and least understood ecosystems in the world; underlining the risks of allowing yet another extractive industry where climate change is already wreaking havoc.

The report identifies Arctic Ocean ecosystems at the frontline of climate impacts and emphasises the critical need for political action to stop the deep sea mining industry before it starts. Norway, one of the first countries wanting to open the ecosystems for deep sea mining, is urged to put all mining plans on hold.[1] In 2020 Norway committed to sustainably manage 100 percent of its ocean areas by 2025 through the High Level Ocean panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy.[2]

Haldis Tjeldflaat Helle, Campaigner, Greenpeace Nordic, said: "The measure of a nation's success is not how many promises it makes, but how it honours them and how much of its ecosystem is safeguarded for present and future generations. While Norway claims to be a respectable nation with responsible policies on ocean management, it's rolling out the red carpet for deep sea mining companies to deploy machines that will cause irreversible harm to the Arctic's unique and vulnerable biodiversity. Somehow Norway's words and ocean commitments get forgotten when profit opportunities arise. We cannot let that happen."

The impacts of deep sea mining include, but are not limited to: direct removal of seafloor habitat and organisms, alteration of substrate and its geochemistry, modification of food webs, release of suspended sediment plumes and toxins, noise pollution and light pollution, as well as the potential for chemical leakage from mining machinery and equipment.

The proposed Arctic mining area is abundant with underwater mountains and deep sea ridges, offering rich habitats that support a diversity of species, such as 'hairy' shrimps, stalked jellyfish, armoured crustaceans, and 'forests' of enigmatic tube worms that live around hydrothermal vents plus more than ten species of marine mammals, including migrating and foraging whales at the top of the food chain. These are the vulnerable habitats that the Norwegian government wants to carve up with underwater robots and noisy machinery for the metals found in the cobalt-rich manganese crusts formed on seamounts and the seafloor massive sulphide deposits around hydrothermal vent fields.[3]

In August, scientists onboard Greenpeace ship Witness conducted a visual-acoustic survey of cetaceans in the Norwegian Sea, including species such as sperm whales, which are globally threatened.

Dr Kirsten Young, Science Lead, Greenpeace Research Laboratories at the University of Exeter, onboard the SY Witness said:"Although it has long been documented that whales and dolphins live in this area, we still know remarkably little about their abundance, distribution and behaviours, including how much they rely on healthy ecosystems around seamounts. Mining will cause permanent damage to those ecosystems and it will remain impossible to assess the full extent of those impacts, let alone control them. What is clear is that Norway's plans not only directly threaten species and habitats on the seabed, but also the wider marine ecosystem, from the tiniest plankton to the great whales."

With a crew of activists from 16 different countries, the Greenpeace vessel MY Arctic Sunrise joined the SY Witness in Arctic waters to bring the call of over 3 million people demanding that deep sea mining doesn't start anywhere in the globe. A video featuring messages from people from all over the world was projected on Sveabreen glacier, in Svalbard.[4]

Last week, Apple, one of the largest companies in the world, joined the call for a moratorium on deep sea mining. The number of leading electric vehicle and tech companies publicly distanced themselves from this industry is now 58, including Google, Samsung, Volvo and BMW. Currently 32 countries support a moratorium, precautionary pause or ban on deep sea mining in the international seabed, which covers almost 60% of the blue planet.

ENDS

Photos available in the Greenpeace Media Library.

Notes:

[1] In January, a majority of the Norwegian Parliament voted for the country to open its seabed for commercial mining activities. The move has been heavily criticised by the international community, including the European Parliament. In June, the Norwegian Ministry of Energy presented a proposal for the first licensing round for seabed minerals for public consultation. The proposal sets out the areas where mining companies will be able to apply for exploitation licences. Those licences include an exploration phase, after which the company can submit a plan for exploitation for approval. Despite the warnings from the scientific community, the Norwegian government aims to hand out the first licences next year, and for mining to start in 2030.

[2] 100% Sustainable Ocean Management: An Introduction to Sustainable Ocean Plans

[3] In these vents, microbes use chemical energy to create biomass that is consumed by other organisms. Some of the species found in the northern part of the targeted mining area include 'hairy' shrimps, stalked jellyfish, armoured crustaceans, and 'forests' of tube worms. The seabed of the Arctic Mid-Ocean Ridge (AMOR) opened up by Norway for deep-sea mining exploration and future extraction is part of Norway's extended continental shelf but lies outside the Norwegian EEZ. It is situated north of the Arctic Circle and almost entirely outside of the maximum sea ice extent.

[4] 58 companies have signed the business statement calling for a moratorium on deep seabed mining activities to date.

Contacts:

Sol Gosetti, Media Coordinator for the Stop Deep Sea Mining campaign, Greenpeace International: [email protected], +44 (0) 07807352020 WhatsApp +44 (0) 7380845754

Greenpeace International Press Desk: [email protected], +31 (0) 20 718 2470 (available 24 hours)

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