Experts: France Sends Mixed Signals On Deep-Sea Mining In Advance Of Ocean Summit

French President Emmanuel Macron, the host of the major ocean gathering, has championed sweeping ocean protection at the same time he has pledged to explore deep-sea extractive opportunities 

As controversy around ocean mining picks up pace, with a growing number of scientists and companies--including BMW, Volvo, Microsoft and others--calling for a moratorium on the potentially destructive industry, France is hosting a major ocean summit calling for greater ocean protection.

Yet the event comes only months after President Emmanuel Macron announced an expansion in funding for deep-sea exploration, including for rare earth metals, under the France 2030 investment plan. And the summit lineup includes comments by Michael Lodge, the head of the International Seabed Authority, the international body seeking to speed through regulations this year that would ultimately set the stage for deep-sea mining.

Macron’s opaque stance on ocean mining stands in contrast to a recent statement by 600 global ocean scientists and experts from 44 countries--including 17 from France--calling for a moratorium on ocean mining. France also abstained from voting on a motion at the recent International Union for Conservation of Nature world conservation congress calling for a moratorium on deep-sea mining, which was passed by 81 other countries and government agencies. With much still unknown about the potential social, economic and environmental impacts of commercial-scale seabed mining, these experts are calling for more time to close this knowledge gap.

Initial studies suggest digging up the seafloor inflicts long-lasting, if not permanent, damage to the ocean--with loss of marine life and deep-sea habitats, noise and light pollution, the disruption of deep-sea carbon sinks and possible harm to tuna and other fisheries, among the direct and indirect impacts.

Meanwhile, stepping up innovations in battery chemistry, technology and recycling will reduce the industry’s need for these minerals and potentially eliminate the need to mine the oceans.

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