Without scientific conclusions, companies will not finance seabed mining

According to representatives of BMW, Volvo and Google, the companies will not finance any mining companies that would decide to mine in the depths without clear scientific conclusions. Together with the Korean battery manufacturer Samsung SDI, these companies also excluded the possible use of deep minerals in supplier relationships. The Financial Times portal informed about it. "Before mining can take place from the ocean floor, it must be clearly demonstrated that such practices will not be dangerous to the environment. It is necessary to ensure the effective safety of the marine environment, "said the companies in a report published by the World Wide Fund for Nature. Deep mining has been promoted by some groups for many years as an alternative to land mining of rare minerals, which are currently used, for example, for the production of batteries for electric cars. Demand for these metals, including cobalt and nickel, has been rising sharply for more than a decade. The reason is, among other things, the ever-increasing production of electric cars, which in the foreseeable future can completely replace cars with internal combustion engines. However, the rules for deep mining in the seas and oceans must first be approved by the International Seabed Authority, ISA. It is a UN organization based in Jamaica that must lay down rules for mining in the coming months. However, the covid-19 pandemic has significantly slowed down the approval of these rules, and clear rules are still awaited. However, according to BMW, Volvo and Google, in spite of the huge potential sources of clean energy, the subsea mining of precious metals should first be thoroughly explored. According to them, any mining should not raise any doubts and should also be as responsible as possible. According to some experts from academia, seabed mining is very risky, despite the huge potential for profit. Douglas McCauley, a professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara, believes that ecosystems in the depths of the seas are among the least resilient in the world, warning of possible mining. He also does not consider it appropriate for clean energy sources to be obtained in this way and calls for alternatives to be sought.