On the 9th local time, the Norwegian parliament voted to pass a proposal to accelerate the mining of seabed minerals, which also made Norway the first country in the world to open up commercial deep-sea mining. According to the BBC 9**, Norway's proposal would open up 280,000 square kilometers of national sea for companies to apply for mining. Walter Sonnis, founder of Norway's Locke Mining Company, said his company was planning to apply for a mining license.
According to the report, the deep seabed is rich in minerals such as iron, lithium, and cobalt, which is very important for the development of green and clean technologies. However, the exploitation of these mineral resources is controversial around the world. Environmental scientists warn that this could be a "devastating blow" to life on the seabed. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) believes that deep-sea mining techniques can cause serious noise and light pollution, as well as damage to biological habitats. Martin Webler, a researcher at the UK-based non-governmental organisation Environmental Justice, said it was "catastrophic" for marine habitats.
The European Union and the United Kingdom have expressed concern about Norway's move and called on it to temporarily ban the practice. In November last year, 120 European parliamentarians issued an open letter calling on the Norwegian parliament to veto the proposal. Even within Norway, there is a lot of opposition. According to the Norwegian Institute of Oceanography, it will take another 5 to 10 years to study the impact of deep-sea mining on species. (Arion).
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*: Global Times.