10 gennaio 2024 – Researchers say the Norwegian government ignored warnings of potential ecosystem harm.

The controversial practice of extracting valuable minerals from the sea bed has taken a step forward after Norway became the first country to allow exploratory deep-sea mining — disappointing scientists and environmental organizations who say that the method will irreversibly damage biodiversity and ecosystems.

“This is about greed, not need, and will come at a significant cost to our environment for present and future generations,” says Matthew Gianni, co-founder of the Deep Sea Conservation Coalition, an advocacy group in Amsterdam.