Deep-sea mining could start soon — before we understand its risks

Forty-four years after a test mining operation in the Pacific Ocean, the scars on the seafloor remain visible, a stark reminder of the potential long-lasting impacts of deep-sea mining. As the International Seabed Authority meets to discuss issuing its first mining permits, scientists and conservationists are sounding the alarm.

"The deep sea cannot become the Wild West," warns UN Secretary-General António Guterres. With only a fraction of the deep ocean explored, researchers fear irreversible damage to undiscovered species and fragile ecosystems.

The push for minerals like manganese and cobalt, crucial for electric vehicles and renewable energy, is driving this underwater gold rush. But critics argue the environmental costs outweigh the benefits.

"We can't know what the impacts of human activities are going to be until we have the baseline knowledge of what's there," says oceanographer Katy Croff Bell. "And we don't have that."

As the debate intensifies, calls for a moratorium on seabed mining grow louder, emphasizing the need for more research before venturing into the ocean's mysterious depths.