After more than a year of massive pressure from activists, scientists and the international community, the Norwegian government has agreed to stop the first licensing round for deep sea mining in Arctic waters.
“This is a huge win! After hard work from activists, environmentalists, scientists and fishermen, we have secured a historic win for ocean protection, as the opening process for deep sea mining in Norway has been stopped. The wave of protests against deep sea mining is growing. We will not let this industry destroy the unique life in the deep sea, not in the Arctic nor anywhere else”, says Haldis Tjeldflaat Helle, deep sea mining campaigner at Greenpeace Nordic
In January the Norwegian government opened up for exploration of deep sea mining across an expansive area equivalent to the size of Italy, situated between Svalbard and Jan Mayen Island in the Arctic region. In June, the Norwegian government announced that they were starting the first licensing round, with the aim of granting the first exploitation licenses early in 2025. But after budget negotiations with the Socialist Left party, the government parties have agreed to stop the first licensing round for at least the whole of 2025.
The Norwegian plan for seabed mining has caused strong reactions from the international community. The EU commission has expressed strong concern about the environmental impact of the plans. 119 European parliamentarians wrote an open letter to their Norwegian colleagues, asking them to stop the opening process, and more than 900 ocean scientists have called for a pause on deep sea mining globally.
“Stopping the Norwegian deep sea mining plans is an important step in stopping this industry from destroying life at the bottom of the sea. Any government that is committed to sustainable ocean management cannot support deep sea mining. It has been truly embarrassing to watch Norway positioning itself as an ocean leader, while planning to give green light to ocean destruction in its own waters”, says Haldis Tjeldflaat Helle.
”Millions of people across the world are calling on governments to resist the dire threat of deep sea mining to safeguard oceans worldwide. This is a huge step forward to protect the Arctic, and now it is time for Norway to join over 30 nations calling for a moratorium and be a true ocean champion,” said Greenpeace International Stop Deep Sea Mining campaigner Louisa Casson.
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