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

Pictured is a file photo against deep-sea mining.

Greenpeace has warned Norway over its deep sea mining plans. Pictured is a file photo from a anti deep-sea mining protest. Photo by Kenzo Tribouillard.

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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It follows an earlier study in May, also by the European Pesticide Action Network (PAN Europe) and its members, that found “alarming” levels of PFAS chemicals in Europe’s rivers, lakes and groundwater.

Widely used in everyday items like cosmetics, non-stick pans and fire extinguishers, PFAS long-life substances are highly durable products that can take centuries to break down.

Samples for this latest study, taken from bottled and tap water in 11 EU countries, detected the presence of TFA (trifluoroacetic acid).

A major source of TFA is degrading PFAS used in certain synthetic pesticides and cooling gases in refrigeration and air conditioning, among other applications.

The possible impact on human health of PFAS, and of TFA in particular, has been growing, but “surprisingly few toxicological studies are available”, PAN Europe said.

The samples tested by the Water Technology Centre in Karlsruhe, Germany, found TFA in 34 of 36 tap water samples and in 12 of the 19 bottled mineral and spring waters.

TFA values in tap water ranged from “undetectable” to 4,100 nanograms/litre, with an average of 740 ng/L.

In mineral and spring waters, TFA values ranged from “undetectable” to 3,200 ng/L, with an average of 278 ng/L.

PAN Europe backed the proposal made by the Dutch National Institute of Public Health and the Environment to set a standard at 2,200 ng/L.

This “was set in such a way that the consumption of drinking water only fulfils 20 percent of the tolerable daily intake,” PAN Europe said.

This threshold was exceeded in mineral water analysed in drinking water from Austria (4,100 ng/L), while in Paris, the tap water analysed contained 2,100 ng/L.

Under European Union rules, from 2026 all drinking water must not exceed 500 ng/L for all PFAS, and NGOs are demanding that TFA be added to the list.

An earlier decision to class TFA as “non-relevant” under EU pesticide regulations was “regrettable” considering its “toxicological profile still leaves many questions unanswered”, the report in May said.

A recent study on rabbits and TFA exposure found birth defects in offspring, raising serious concerns about this chemical.

PAN Europe has called for urgent interventions to address this “political failure”, starting with a “rapid ban” on PFAS pesticides and a rethink on the threat posed by individual chemicals like TFA.