After more than a year of massive pressure from activists, scientists and the international community, the Norwegian government has agreed to stop the first licensing round for deep sea mining in Arctic waters.
Protest outside the Norwegian Parliament in January 2024. Photo: Via TT
The Editorial Board of the Arctic Century has commented on the decision by the Norwegian left-wing environmentalist party which halted the government's plans for deep-sea mining in the Arctic.
In January the Norwegian government opened up for exploration of deep sea mining across an expansive area equivalent to the size of Italy, situated between Svalbard and Jan Mayen Island in the Arctic region. In June, the Norwegian government announced that they were starting the first licensing round, with the aim of granting the first exploitation licenses early in 2025. But after budget negotiations with the Socialist Left party, the government parties have agreed to stop the first licensing round for at least the whole of 2025.
“This is a huge win! After hard work from activists, environmentalists, scientists and fishermen, we have secured a historic win for ocean protection, as the opening process for deep sea mining in Norway has been stopped. The wave of protests against deep-sea mining is growing. We will not let this industry destroy the unique life in the deep sea, not in the Arctic nor anywhere else”, says Haldis Tjeldflaat Helle, deep sea mining campaigner at Greenpeace Nordic (banned organization in Russia - approx. ed.).
The Norwegian plan for seabed mining has caused strong reactions from the international community. The EU commission has expressed strong concern about the environmental impact of the plans. 119 European parliamentarians wrote an open letter to their Norwegian colleagues, asking them to stop the opening process, and more than 900 ocean scientists have called for a pause on deep sea mining globally.
“Stopping the Norwegian deep sea mining plans is an important step in stopping this industry from destroying life at the bottom of the sea. Any government that is committed to sustainable ocean management cannot support deep sea mining. It has been truly embarrassing to watch Norway positioning itself as an ocean leader, while planning to give green light to ocean destruction in its own waters”, says Haldis Tjeldflaat Helle.
”Millions of people across the world are calling on governments to resist the dire threat of deep sea mining to safeguard oceans worldwide. This is a huge step forward to protect the Arctic, and now it is time for Norway to join over 30 nations calling for a moratorium and be a true ocean champion,” said Greenpeace International Stop Deep Sea Mining campaigner Louisa Casson.
In a significant victory for the global Greenpeace campaign to stop seabed mining, Norway is stopping the first licensing round for deep sea mining in Arctic waters, which Greenpeace says puts pressure on the Luxon government to follow suit.
Greenpeace spokesperson Juan Parada says, “This move by Norway to stop the seabed mining in its tracks is a historic win for ocean protection and for the growing movement opposed to the damaging new extractive industry, and puts the spotlight firmly on the Luxon government to do the same.”
“This decision by Norway puts even more pressure on the Luxon government not to be the first in the world to allow commercial seabed mining to take place in its waters.
“Millions of people across the world are now calling on governments to resist the dire threat of seabed mining to safeguard oceans worldwide and one by one they are listening.
“The Luxon government needs to read the room, listen to the growing opposition and put an end to the Australian-owned mining company Trans-Tasman Resources’ destructive plans to mine the South Taranaki Bight,” says Parada.
Last week, Greenpeace activists, along with representatives of Taranaki iwi Ngāti Ruanui, disrupted the annual general meeting of Manuka Resources, the owners of TTR.
Norway has a minority government, consisting of the Labor Party and the Center Party. They have negotiated with the Socialist Left to get their state budget through for 2025. As part of the agreement on the state budget, the governing parties have agreed to stop the first round of licenses until the end of 2025. This means that no licenses for mining will be granted before the next general election held in Norway in September 2025.
Source: Greenpeace UK, Greenpeace.org, Via.tt
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