Seafloor Mining : Environmental Concerns – UPSC GS3

These are rocks that are rich in cobalt, copper, manganese, nickel, rare-earth elements and titanium.

The Pacific basin is thought to contain more than 30 billion tonnes of polymetallic nodules

Scientists and entrepreneurs have been researching methods of extracting them since the 1960s.

In 1994, the International Seabed Authority was established to regulate mining efforts and protect the seabed environment.

The seafloor is arguably the least resilient ecosystem on the planet.

In 2017, a report commissioned by the UK government warned that seabed mining could lead to the “extinction of unique species which form the first rung of the food chain.”

The damage wouldn’t be confined to the ocean floor. Plumes of sediment will have a dire effects on sea life accustomed to clear water.

Further, the plumes might also include toxins that can pass on to Fishes.

The plumes might also reduce the ocean’s ability to sequester carbon—or even release stored carbon into the atmosphere—thereby worsening climate change.