The battle over mining mineral-rich deep sea 'nodules'
United Nations, United States (AFP) Aug 27, 2024
They might look like pebbles strewn across the seafloor, but to the unique animals of the ocean deep, polymetallic nodules are a crucial habitat. To the mining firms vying to extract them, on the other hand, they promise to be a "battery in a rock". This month at a week-long meeting of the International Seabed Authority (ISA), those opposed to mining the nodules suffered a serious setba
They might look like pebbles strewn across the seafloor, but to the unique animals of the ocean deep, polymetallic nodules are a crucial habitat. To the mining firms vying to extract them, on the other hand, they promise to be a "battery in a rock". This month at a week-long meeting of the International Seabed Authority (ISA), those opposed to mining the nodules suffered a serious setba