![]() Beyond coastal ecosystems, scientists have discovered that the continental shelves of coastal states and the deep sea harbour vast stores of carbon dioxide. Scientific research has found that the burial of carbon on the seafloor is a key part of the carbon cycle. The ocean, and the deep ocean specifically, plays a vital role in regulating the climate. According to EJF, this widespread opposition means there is no business or political case for destroying deep ocean ecosystems, as many of the alleged beneficiaries of such mining have committed to rejecting it. The Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF) welcomed this news, calling it an essential step to protect our ocean and climate, and an important signal to other ISA member states and the whole world: deep-sea mining poses incalculable risks to the environment.Īlongside France, Germany and Spain, the race to mine the deep ocean is increasingly opposed by nations from around the globe – with Palau, Fiji and Samoa in particular leadership positions – and by businesses including BMW and VW. This means France joins Germany and Spain in opposing this potentially highly destructive exploitation of the ocean, after a German announcement on the 31st of October that the nation would not support any deep sea mining activities until their impacts have been sufficiently understood. Yesterday at COP27, French President Emmanuel Macron called for a complete ban on deep sea mining, saying "France supports the ban on all exploitation of the deep seabed and will bring it to international forums." ![]()
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