Many of these metals available on the ocean floor for mining, such as cobalt, nickel, and manganese, are in high demand by the electric vehicle industry. In June of this year, a group of 300 scientists called for a pause on the deep-sea mining of minerals until further scientific research can be conducted on the effect on ocean wildlife.įactors like pollution and trawling nets from deep-sea mining operations could result “in the loss of biodiversity and ecosystem functioning,” warned deep-sea biologist Diva Amon on Twitter. The impact of the fossil fuel industry on underwater ecosystems has been fairly well studied, but scientists are also raising the alarm on another emerging resource extraction method that could harm ocean ecosystems: deep-sea mining of precious metals. Is deep-sea mining the next crisis?ĭeep-sea mining could affect the ecosystems supporting creatures like deep-sea jellyfish. Recent research suggests using careful marine spatial planning and designating protected marine areas to preserve ocean wildlife from increased threats due to offshore drilling and deep-sea mining. President Joe Biden signed an executive order pausing offshore oil drilling during his first month in office. Many environmentalists criticized the Trump administration’s plans to expand offshore oil drilling, citing threats to coastal and ocean wildlife and the role of fossil fuels in worsening the climate crisis. As of April 2019, there were 1,862 offshore oil drilling platforms in the Gulf of Mexico.
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