Environment

France Votes to Ban Deep-sea Mining

The French Parliament has voted in favour of banning deep-sea mining in its waters, in an emphatic move against the controversial practice. Deep-sea mining would see heavy machinery being used on the ocean floor to suck up small rocks containing rare metals. Though it’s still at an exploratory stage, companies are very interested in the cobalt, nickel and manganese which could be extracted for car batteries.

But scientists are concerned about the potentially devastating impact on marine ecosystems. As well as the climate, given the vast amounts of CO2 stored at these depths. Most of the species in these remote ecosystems have adapted to the unique conditions of the ocean depths and are extremely vulnerable to human disturbance.