PROTECT OUR OCEANS FROM DEEP-SEA MINING

Hundreds of meters below the surface, lies a realm that has long been shrouded in mystery — the deep sea.

But while it’s a mystery to us, the deep sea is actually a thriving hub of biodiversity — with up to 10 million species calling it home. The species here are slow to grow, reproduce, and are highly adapted to a largely unchanging environment.

Despite being one of the most inaccessible places on Earth, and our least explored habitat, the deep sea plays a pivotal role in sustaining all life on our planet by regulating global temperatures and supporting complex ocean food webs.

This unique environment makes life in the deep sea extremely vulnerable to human disturbances – like deep-sea mining.

Deep-sea mining is the process of removing mineral deposits from the deep seafloor. While still experimental, studies have shown that it can have disastrous effects.

If deep-sea mining is allowed, it would threaten to destroy deep-sea species and habitats.

While the full-scale impacts of deep-sea mining are yet to be determined, scientists warn biodiversity loss will be irreversible and inevitable. That’s why we’re calling on world leaders to protect our oceans from deep-sea mining.

petition letter

Dear world leaders,  

The deep sea is the largest ecosystem on Earth, making up 90% of the marine environment.  

This mysterious world is the least explored habitat on our planet and contains some of the most diverse species and ecosystems, while also playing a pivotal role in sustaining all life on Earth by: 

• Regulating global temperatures and weather patterns;  

• Replenishing essential nutrients that support complex ocean food webs; and  

• Mitigating climate change by serving as a carbon sink.  

In addition to the fauna that lives here, the deep sea is also home to vast quantities of metal-rich mineral deposits. These deposits and the potential value of the metals they contain makes the highly speculative new industry of deep-sea mining attractive to some.  

However, the species and seabeds in the deep sea are highly adapted to a largely unchanging environment making them extremely vulnerable to human disturbances.  

Deep-sea mining is the process of removing mineral deposits from the deep seafloor. While still experimental, studies have shown that it can have disastrous effects. If deep-sea mining is allowed to go ahead, it would: 

•  Threaten the health, and perhaps the very existence, of deep-sea species and ecosystems;  

• Destroy the physical structures of the seafloor and the ecosystems they support;  

• Kick up sediment plumes that smother organisms and choke deep-sea species;  

• Alter ocean chemistry across large swaths of the sea; and 

• Create noise pollution in the otherwise quiet deep ocean.  

While the full-scale impacts of deep-sea mining are yet to be determined, scientists warn biodiversity loss will be irreversible and inevitable. We’re counting on you to protect our oceans from deep-sea mining. The future of our planet depends on it.  

Sincerely,  

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