Protect oceans from unregulated deep-sea mining exploitation

The deep sea floor represents one of the last unexplored frontiers on our planet. Polymetallic nodules containing critical minerals may present an economic opportunity, but pursuing deep-sea mining without comprehensive regulations risks irreversible damage to fragile ocean ecosystems about which we still know very little. Many marine species found nowhere else could face disruption or extinction from the sediment plumes, noise pollution, and habitat destruction that would result from large-scale mining operations on the seabed. The world has a responsibility to protect the health of our oceans, which produce over half the oxygen we breathe and serve as Earth's largest carbon sink. Granting permits for deep-sea mining in the absence of an enforceable international framework would be an unacceptable gamble with the future of marine environments. We must take a precautionary approach and establish robust, science-based rules through bodies like the International Seabed Authority before any commercial exploitation occurs. Terrestrial mining has already wrought extensive environmental degradation in pursuit of vital minerals. Repeating those mistakes in the deep ocean could have catastrophic ecological consequences that reverberate across the planet.