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ENVIRONMENT

Norway to be taken to court by WWF over deep sea mining

The World Wide Fund for Nature's (WWF) Norwegian chapter said Thursday it would take legal action against Norway for opening up its seabed to mining before performing sufficient impact studies.

Published: 23 May 2024 16:31 CEST
Pictured are activists protesting deep sea mining.
Norway will be taken to the court by the WWF. File photo: Activists take part at a "Look Down action" rally to stop deep sea mining outside the European Parliament in Brussels . (Photo by Kenzo TRIBOUILLARD / AFP)

Already Western Europe’s largest oil and gas producer, Norway could become one of the first countries to authorise seabed mining, arguing the importance of not relying on China or authoritarian countries for minerals essential for renewable technology.

While deep-sea mining is contentious due to its potential impact on vulnerable marine ecosystems, Norway’s parliament in January formally gave its green light to open up parts of its seabed to exploration.

“Norway’s decision to proceed with opening up vast areas of ocean for destructive mining, is an unprecedented management scandal,” Karoline Andaur, CEO of WWF Norway, said in a statement.

“We have never before seen a Norwegian government so arrogantly ignore all scientific advice and defy the warnings of a united marine research community,” she continued.

According to WWF, the impact studies carried out by Norway’s energy ministry did not meet the criteria required by Norwegian law.

During the public hearing process, the Norwegian Environment Agency — a government agency — reached the same conclusion, citing “significant gaps in the knowledge about nature, technology and environmental impact.”

Several countries, including France and the UK, have called for a moratorium on deep-sea mining, and the European Parliament expressed concern following Norway’s decision to move forward.

Meanwhile, Oslo maintains that by allowing the prospecting it wants to fill in gaps in knowledge to determine whether undersea mining can take place without serious impact on the environment. Otherwise, it will not be authorised.

“We believe that a thorough process has been carried out with broad involvement, and that the applicable requirements have been followed,” Astrid Bergmal, state secretary at Norway’s Ministry of Energy, told AFP in an email Thursday.

On April 12th, the Ministry announced that it was opening up an area of the Norwegian Sea and Greenland Seas to exploration, with the aim of awarding the first licences in the first half of 2025.

In early 2023, the Norwegian Offshore Directorate published a report concluding that “substantial resources are in place on the seabed” including minerals such as copper, zinc and cobalt.

Among other uses, they are crucial for the manufacturing of batteries, wind turbines, computers and mobile phones.

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CLIMATE CRISIS

Greenpeace warns Norway over ‘irreversible’ deep-sea mining harm

Greenpeace on Friday warned Norway that its plans to open up its Arctic seabed to mining would cause "irreversible" damage to the entire marine ecosystem.

Published: 20 September 2024 10:08 CEST
Greenpeace warns Norway over 'irreversible' deep-sea mining harm

The Scandinavian country is expected to award the first exploration licences in 2025, and could become one of the first nations in the world to mine the seabed despite fierce criticism from scientists, NGOs and other countries.

“Norway’s deep sea mining plans in the Arctic will cause irreversible harm to biodiversity,” Greenpeace said as it published a report titled “Deep Sea Mining in the Arctic: Living Treasures at Risk”.

It said deep sea mining would pose a further danger to a little-studied ecosystem already under threat from global warming.

Among the dangers it cited were the direct removal of the seafloor habitat and organisms, noise and light pollution, the risk of chemical leaks from machinery and equipment, as well as the accidental displacement of species.

“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,” said Kirsten Young, head of research at Greenpeace.

“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,” she said in a statement.

Norwegian authorities have stressed the importance of not relying on China or authoritarian countries for minerals essential for renewable technology.

Oslo has also argued that mapping and prospecting will make it possible to fill in knowledge gaps.

“The global transition to a low-carbon society will require huge amounts of minerals and metals,” Astrid Bergmal, state secretary at the energy ministry, told AFP in an email.

“Today, the extraction of minerals is largely concentrated in a small number of countries or companies.

This can contribute to a vulnerable supply situation, which is challenging, especially in today’s geopolitical situation,” she said.

Some of the minerals are used in the manufacturing of batteries, wind turbines, computers and mobile phones.

Norway insists any potential exploitation would take place only after “responsible and sustainable” methods have been established, and the first projects will have to be approved by the government and parliament in advance.

Oslo plans to open up a 281,000-square-kilometre (108,500-square-mile) zone to prospecting — about half the size of France — in the Norwegian and Greenland Seas, and aims to award the first permits in the first half of 2025.

Among those that have protested against Norway’s plans are the European Parliament and environmental protection organisations, while countries like France and the UK and dozens of large companies have called for a moratorium on deep sea mining.

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