Protest: Global Activation to Stop Deep-Sea Mining

Deep seas under threat

While outer space has been called “the final frontier”, there are worlds on planet Earth that are far from explored and understood.

The deep sea is the entire area of the world ocean making up 95% of Earth’s living space. Fewer humans have explored the deepest regions of the ocean than have walked on the moon.  The deep sea is home to creatures miraculously evolved millions of years in just above freezing temperatures. As many as 10 million different species may be found in biodiversity as rich as tropical rainforests.

Manganese nodules taking millions of years to develop to roughly the size of a potato, concentrated with metals such as cobalt, nickel, copper, and rare earth elements are widely distributed across certain regions of the ocean. Scientists announced last year that in zones lacking sunlight manganese nodules produce oxygen.

Only recently have scientists begun to understand its vital importance for our planet and for our lives. Only recently has the role of sea floors in carbon sequestration been discovered. Think climate change.

The Trump administration recently announced opening US waters to seabed mining for manganese nodules. This may soon devastate American Samoa’s US territorial waters. Seabed mining threatens to disturb and harm sensitive marine life, including plankton, fish, whales, and dolphins.

Sir David Attenborough likens bottom trawling to “bulldozing underwater rainforests,”. Seabed mining is like bottom trawling on steroids doing irreparable damage.

Join us July 20, 11am at Rincon Beach Park as part of the Global Activation Against Deep-Sea Mining.