STOP Deep-Sea Mining | Take Action
This is the fight of our generation for Mother Ocean! YOU can help.
THIS MAY BE OUR LAST CHANCE TO STOP DEEP-SEA MINING BEFORE IT STARTS!
THE CHOICE WE MAKE TODAY IS THE FUTURE FOR THE NEXT GENERATIONS.
Deep-sea mining must be stopped before it begins to protect our oceans’ fragile ecosystems, preserve biodiversity, and safeguard the planet’s climate-regulating systems for future generations.
Why?
- Irreversible Environmental Damage: Deep-sea mining involves deploying massive machines to scrape the ocean floor, extracting minerals like cobalt, nickel, and manganese. This process creates sediment plumes that smother marine life, disrupts habitats, and generates noise pollution that harms species like whales, which rely on sound for communication. Studies indicate that early mining tests have left scars visible decades later, with ecosystems showing little to no recovery.
- Biodiversity at Risk: The deep sea, covering 65% of Earth’s surface, is one of the planet’s last untouched frontiers, hosting over 5,000 newly discovered species in areas like the Clarion-Clipperton Zone alone. Creatures like the deep-sea ghost octopus and strawberry squid depend on unique habitats, such as polymetallic nodules, which mining would destroy. Over 700 scientists from 44 nations have called for a pause due to the risk of species extinction.
- Climate Impacts: The deep sea is a critical carbon sink, potentially the largest on Earth, helping mitigate climate change. Mining disrupts carbon storage and may release stored carbon, exacerbating global warming. Recent research also explores whether polymetallic nodules produce “dark oxygen,” a process that could be compromised by mining.
- Unnecessary for Energy Transition: Mining companies, like The Metals Company (TMC), claim deep-sea minerals are essential for clean energy technologies. However, alternatives like lithium-iron phosphate (LFP) batteries, which don’t require deep-sea minerals, are gaining market share. Recycling and emerging technologies, such as sodium-ion batteries, further reduce the need for seabed mining. Major companies like BMW, Volvo, and Google have pledged not to use deep-sea minerals, proving the industry’s claims are overstated.
- Geopolitical and Ethical Concerns: Companies like TMC have shifted from greenwashing to marketing deep-sea minerals for military purposes, risking geopolitical tensions and weaponizing the ocean floor. This contradicts the principle of the seabed as the “common heritage of humankind” under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). Unilateral moves, like the U.S. executive order in April 2025 to bypass the International Seabed Authority (ISA), threaten global cooperation and could lead to conflicts at sea.
The deep sea is Mother Ocean’s last sanctuary, a mysterious world of dumbo octopuses, vampire squids, and undiscovered wonders that have thrived for millennia. It’s not just a resource to plunder—it’s a lifeline for humanity, regulating our climate and sustaining communities, especially in places like the Pacific, where people’s cultural and spiritual identity is tied to the ocean. Allowing mining to start is like burning a library before reading its books, robbing future generations of a healthy planet. We stand at a historic crossroads: act now, or lose this irreplaceable ecosystem forever.
What proponents argue deep-sea mining is necessary for critical minerals and economic growth. Yet, technological advancements and recycling already provide viable alternatives, and the economic benefits promised by companies like TMC often fail to materialize for local communities, as seen in the Republic of Palau’s experience. The risk of environmental destruction far outweighs short-term profits, especially when 32 countries and millions of people globally support a moratorium.
TAKE ACTION NOW:
This is our generation’s chance to protect Mother Ocean. Join over 2 million people worldwide by signing petitions at defendthedeep.org or greenpeace.org to demand a global moratorium on deep-sea mining. Urge governments at the ISA’s 2026 meetings to prioritize ocean protection over corporate greed. Share this message, protest, and support brands rejecting deep-sea minerals. Act now—our oceans and future generations depend on it.
- Visit newearthflow.co/nodeepseamining to submit your comment by August 15, 2025.
- Not sure what to say? The site offers sample comments, like:
- “Mining in American Samoa waters poses irreversible harm to marine ecosystems, vital marine life, and the tuna industry. It’s not worth the risk.”
- “Deep-sea mining threatens Indigenous cultural heritage and the ocean’s role as a life-support system. I strongly oppose it.”
- You can also submit directly at http://www.regulations.gov/commenton/BOEM-2025-0035-0001.
Meet and Support
Alisha Shanti Chauhan | c +1 (808) 631-3385
Inspiring action for a resilient, Blue~Green future
Consultant | Educator | Writer | Capacity Builder
http://Newearthflow.co/oceanstoryactsNewearthflow.co/oceanstoryacts
All my love,
Dr. Sarah Larsen
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