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Deep Sea Mining: Promise or Peril?
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Beneath the waves, in the darkness of the deep ocean, lies one of Earth's last pristine wilderness areas – a place we've barely begun to understand. Now, a high-stakes race is underway to mine valuable minerals from the seafloor, with profound implications for marine ecosystems and our planet's future.
Richard Charter from The Ocean Foundation takes us on an eye-opening journey into the complex world of deep sea mining. He expertly breaks down the three distinct types of extraction threatening different ocean ecosystems: hydrothermal vents with their unique energy-transforming life forms, mineral crusts that form along seamounts, and polymetallic nodules scattered across vast stretches of seafloor. These aren't just minerals – they're living habitats that took millions of years to evolve.
What's particularly alarming is the permanence of any damage we inflict. Charter reveals that test mining tracks created 26 years ago remain perfectly visible today, as if freshly made. "If it took millions of years to evolve these life forms in the sea," he warns, "then we know that for them to come back, first of all they may come back in a different form, and it may take millions of years. This is beyond human scale."
While mining companies frame their work as essential for the green energy transition, providing minerals for electric vehicle batteries and renewable infrastructure, Charter challenges this narrative. He points out that automotive technology is already evolving beyond these specific metals, and effective recycling programs could meet many of our needs without risking irreparable harm to ocean ecosystems. Meanwhile, the deep sea may harbor undiscovered solutions to humanity's greatest challenges, including potential cancer t
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Founded by Scott & Tree Mercer to document the occurrence, diversity, & behavior of marine mammals.
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An audio/visual production company in the Sea Ranch, CA (US)
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Leigh Anne Lindsey, Producer Sea Storm Studios, The Sea Ranch, North Sonoma Coast
Scott & Tree Mercer, Co-hosts/Producers, Mendonoma Whale & Seal Study, Mendocino and Sonoma Coasts.
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Chapters
1. Deep Sea Mining: Promise or Peril? (00:00:00)
2. Introduction to Resilient Earth Podcast (00:00:10)
3. Understanding Deep Sea Mining Basics (00:01:38)
4. Three Types of Subsea Mining Explained (00:04:13)
5. Life Cycles Within Ocean Nodules (00:08:39)
6. International Governance Challenges (00:17:35)
7. The Green Solution Paradox (00:23:33)
8. Bypassing Global Laws and Ethics (00:30:29)
9. Machines and Monitoring Concerns (00:38:46)
10. Threats to American Samoa (00:49:18)
11. Final Thoughts on Coastal Protection (00:54:27)
41 episodes
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