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For the first time an exclusive Greenpeace report shows who is behind the controversial deep-sea mining industry, and shows who will benefit and who will be at risk if governments allow deep-sea mining to begin. The analysis tracks the ownership and beneficiaries of private companies who are behind demands to open the seabed to commercial mining. The research reveals a network of subsidiaries, subcontractors, and murky partnerships, the ultimate decision-makers and those who seek profit are predominantly located in the Global North - while the states that sponsor these companies are primarily countries in the Global South, liability and financial Are exposed to risk.
Louisa Casson of the Protect the Oceans campaign said:
"In the midst of a climate and wildlife crisis, when global inequality worsens, why on earth are we even considering ripping the ocean floor up for a profit?" Deep-sea mining would be dire news for the climate and disrupt key ocean carbon sinks. Some of the companies advancing this risky industry are literally speaking for the UN countries. The deep ocean, the largest ecosystem in the world, must remain closed to the mining industry. "
So far, the United Nations International Seabed Authority (ISA) has awarded 30 deep-sea mining contracts on an area of over one million square kilometers of the international seabed, which is roughly the size of France and Germany put together - "for the benefit of all humanity" . The release of the report coincides with the expected re-election of the UK Secretary General of the ISA, Michael Lodge, at its 26th meeting.
Nearly a third of those deals are with private companies headquartered in North America and Europe, which raise questions about whether the industry's potential gains could further exacerbate global inequalities.
"The ISA is supposed to protect the oceans and is not doing its job," Casson continued. "It is important that governments sign a global ocean treaty in 2021 that could result in marine protected areas around the world being free from harmful human activity, rather than opening a new frontier of environmental degradation."
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Photos: Greenpeace
