The European Parliament voted on Wednesday February 7 for a resolution on Norway’s recent decision to authorize mining explorations in the Arctic seabed. The text adopted in Strasbourg calls on Norway, which is not a member of the European Union, to protect Arctic ecosystems. It calls on all countries to support an international moratorium on seabed mining.
2 mins
Norway became the first country, in January, to authorize mining prospecting in a still unexplored Arctic region. Therefore, Anne-Sophie Roux, of the Alliance for a Sustainable Ocean, welcomes the diplomatic signal sent by the European Parliament: “ Europe is Norway’s largest trading partner and it is also a continent that will be impacted. The fact that Norway did not take into account these impact measures, particularly on European fisheries, this Norwegian decision goes against certain international laws. »
Read alsoNorway: Parliament approves seabed mining exploration
An impact that is difficult to measure, particularly on ecosystems: “ Over 90% of this area, we have no data on deep-sea ecosystems, so in fact, we don’t even know what lives in these ecosystems. »
To justify its decision, Norway explains that the minerals that could be extracted – copper, cobalt or even zinc – are useful for the energy transition. But there you have it, exploiting the seabed presents a risk for the climate: “ The ocean sequesters the majority of greenhouse gases that are emitted into the atmosphere and these gases are stored in the seabed. And so, with the action of machines, we risk disrupting this function and in fact, this function guarantees us the stability of the climate. »
The European Parliament nevertheless takes note of the fact that Norway has planned to submit possible exploitation of these seabeds to a new examination by Parliament.
Read alsoNorwegian seabed is said to be full of strategic metals