A Canadian mining company wants Trump’s permission to mine the deep sea
1 min read
Summary
The Metals Company has applied to US regulators to commercially mine critical battery metals from the Clarion Clipperton Zone in the Pacific Ocean, an area covering roughly 260,000 square kilometres.
The company contends that it can recover 15.5 million metric tons of nickel, 12.8 million metric tons of copper, 2 million metric tons of cobalt, and 345 million metric tons of manganese from the zone.
Mining in international waters, without having international rules in place to mitigate potential environmental impact, is angering other governments and conservation groups, with Greenpeace describing the application as “an act of total disregard for international law” and calling on governments to defend international rules and cooperation.
More than 30 countries, including key US neighbours Canada and Mexico, have called for a ban or moratorium on deep-sea mining until there are international rules in place.
The area is known for its polymetallic nodules that are used to make rechargeable batteries and are on the US government’s list of critical minerals.