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The Arctic is undoubtedly the most coveted region of the planet due to the certainty of the large amount of minerals and hydrocarbons that, it seems scientifically proven, its subsoil harbours. Every country that physically touches its perimeter has ambitions to exploit it. Russia has even planted its flag on the seabed to demonstrate its sovereignty over a large part of the territory. But it is Norway, through a resolution of its Storting (Parliament), that has decided to legislate in order to move forward with this underwater exploitation.
Oslo has just met with the rejection of the European Parliament, whose plenary voted a resolution against its claims by 523 votes to 34. The EP recalls that Norway and the EU have a deep and long-standing relationship as neighbours and partners, share common political objectives and fundamental values and are part of the single market through the European Economic Area (EEA), which justifies its legitimacy to issue such a rejection resolution.
After considering a large number of reports, this large majority of MEPs considered that Norway’s decision jeopardises the delicate Arctic ecosystem, as in addition to compromising the 280,000 square kilometres set aside for this destructive activity, clouds of sediment could move hundreds or thousands of kilometres, affecting the entire water column.
The European Parliament not only rejects the Storting decision, but also takes the opportunity to call on the European Commission and the 27 Member States to promote an international moratorium on underwater mining, just a few months before a key meeting of the International Seabed Authority (ISA), the body responsible for this activity, is due to take place.
The resolution stresses in its recitals that Arctic ecosystems are of fundamental importance for biodiversity, fish stocks and climate regulation; that these particularly vulnerable ecosystems are already facing pressure from climate change, resulting in acidification and warming of the oceans, which is likely to affect the migratory patterns of important fish stocks, and that Arctic seabed mining carries the risk of releasing methane, stored for millions of years, into sub-glacial ecosystems and Arctic permafrost soils. In short, we are dealing with a deep sea that is the oldest biome on the planet, which consequently harbours the greatest biodiversity on the planet and thus provides essential environmental services.
Support for the moratorium
Environmental organisations, civil society, the fishing industry and major international companies such as Volvo, BMW, Google, Samsung, Phillips, Northvolt and Volkswagen have expressed their support for the moratorium. Some of these numerous organisations, such as Ecologists in Action, have hastened to ask the Spanish government to decisively support the moratorium proposal that several states will take to the ISA assembly to be held in Kingston next summer.
They are demanding leadership to prevent countries with a direct interest in this industry, such as Norway, from forcing the adoption of a mining code, which would pave the way for the exploitation of vast areas of the oceans. Should the red line on underwater mining be crossed, the potential impact would be enormous, including the disruption of the world’s largest carbon sink, the release of greenhouse gases, the toxic effects of sediment plumes in the food chain and the irreversible destruction of marine biodiversity, in many cases little explored and highly sensitive habitats that are home to unique biological communities.
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