Norway has cancelled the first licensing round for deep-sea mining in the Arctic after pressure from activists and a small environmentalist political party.
Plans to mine Norway’s seabed minerals were largely expected to sail through with little opposition, as the government eyed the start of commercial mining in 2030. But the country’s Socialist Left Party (SV), with less than 8% of seats in parliament, threatened to block the government budget unless the plan was scrapped.
“This puts a stop to the plans to start deep-sea mining until the end of the government’s term,” said SV leader Kirsti Bergstø.
The permits, which would have allowed mining companies to map and test for valuable minerals, will be postponed until at least September 2025, when the next parliamentary elections will be held. The outcome of the election could determine whether the permits move forward.
In June 2024, Norway’s Ministry of Energy proposed 386 license areas spanning nearly 106,000 square kilometers (40,900 square miles), an area about the size of Iceland, in the Norwegian Sea for deep-sea mining activities.
The corporate interest in the region is fueled by global demand for copper, zinc, cobalt and rare earth minerals suspected to abound on the seabed at depths beyond 200 meters (660 feet).
But scientists and environmentalists have warned that “almost nothing” is known to science about the deep sea or the impacts of mining there. Through 2024, more than 900 ocean scientists signed a letter calling for a global stop to deep-sea mining.
Over the last 30 years, only 77 population genetics studies have been conducted on creatures that live deep in the ocean, up to 1,000 m (3,300 ft), mostly focused on commercially valuable species, according to a University of Oxford review. It concluded that “life in the depth of the ocean remains a relative mystery.” Just one study was conducted deeper than 5,000 m (16,400 ft).
The Norwegian Fishermen’s Association had also raised concerns about the impacts on the marine ecosystems that they depend on for fish stocks, calling deep-sea mining both an environmental and reputational hazard. “We believe it’s entirely appropriate to hit the brakes hard on seabed mining,” said Kåre Heggebø, the organization’s leader.
Environmental advocates also warned about the broader threats to fragile Arctic ecosystems. “The Arctic Ocean is one of the last pristine frontiers already under significant stress from the climate crisis,” Steve Trent, founder of U.K.-based NGO Environmental Justice Foundation, said in an email statement. “Subjecting these waters to the destructive, needless practice of deep-sea mining was a grave threat.
“This victory must not be seen as the end of the struggle, as the licensing in Norway is only blocked until 2026,” Trent added. “We must now work together to ensure that this decision becomes permanent.”
Banner image: Little is known about deep-sea life, leading scientists, environmentalists and fishers to protest plans to mine for mining the seabed. Image © Solvin Zankl/Greenpeace.
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