The government wants to open up mining on the seabed. Today they presented the plan for this at the Storting. This was confirmed by Oil and Energy Minister Terje Aasland (Ap) to Dagens Næringsliv on Tuesday morning. The environmental movement reacts strongly to the decision. RICH ANIMAL LIFE: There is no shortage of animals on the seabed. Recent research has revealed many thousands of species that live in the type of areas that will now be opened up for exploration. Photo: Center for Deep Sea Research at the University of Bergen – It is a black day for Norwegian nature, says Secretary General of the World Wide Fund for Nature WWF, Karoline Andaur to news. She believes that Norway puts itself in an unfortunate light in an international context. The head of WWF, Karoline Andaur, is very critical of the knowledge base for the decision to allow mining on the seabed. Photo: Verdens Naturfond / WWF – Once again, Norway shows that we do not take international obligations and nature seriously. While more and more countries are making responsible choices and asking for a moratorium, Norway is going against the flow and opening sea areas larger than the UK to destructive industry, says Andaur. Shows great need for minerals It is still uncertain how far the Storting will support the plans. Budget partner SV has previously declared that they will protect the sea from mining. According to the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate, there are large mineral resources on the Norwegian continental shelf, including several million tonnes of copper, zinc and cobalt. This could mean large revenues for Norway. Seabed minerals are also considered by many to be a possible important piece in the green shift. Going forward, there will be a need for much more minerals, to make everything from batteries to wind turbines. Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre defended this view to the Financial Times yesterday. Within this area, exploration for seabed minerals can be opened. The area covers 592,500 km². Norway’s land area is 385,000 km². Photo: The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate / NPD Will open for exploration in blocks The area the government wants to open for exploration is 281,000 square kilometers and lies in the Barents Sea and the Greenland Sea. Aasland tells DN that it will be opened for exploration in smaller blocks in this area: – When we open an area that is large in area in the most prospective areas, it is not the case that we light up the entire area for exploration and extraction. We divide it into small blocks, he says. It is not a given that exploration activities necessarily trigger an extraction permit, the minister further points out. – Then someone gets permission, then in a small limited area, for exploration activities. If they find resources, the companies must be able to document through project-specific impact assessments that it is possible to extract the minerals in a sustainable and environmentally friendly way, explains Aasland. Scientists recently found 5,000 new species in another area where seabed mining is planned, in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone of the Pacific Ocean. The researchers believe that there are far more undiscovered species that will now be threatened by mining. Photo: Center for Deep Sea Research at the University of Bergen Highly controversial But mining on the seabed is highly controversial. A number of marine scientists and environmental organizations have pointed out that we know far too little about life on the seabed, and thus do not know what damage mining can do. Some have also asked questions about whether mining on the Norwegian seabed is profitable at all. The government faced harsh criticism from several professional circles, including the Norwegian Environment Agency and the Geological Survey of Norway, when they presented their impact assessment on the matter. According to the Norwegian Environment Agency, the impact assessment does not provide a decision-making basis for allowing mineral extraction. “KU shows significant knowledge gaps about nature, technology and environmental impacts. Furthermore, it does not contain assessments of whether, possibly where and how, it is possible to conduct mineral operations in a responsible and environmentally sustainable manner,” they write in their response to the consultation. Environmental policy spokesperson and parliamentary representative for the Liberal Party, Ola Elvestuen, believes that the government’s parliamentary announcement puts Norway on the map as one of the most environmentally hostile countries in the world. Photo: Peder Martin Bergholt / news Environmental policy spokesperson for the Liberal Party, Ola Elvestuen, tells news that the government’s opening for mining on the seabed is an “assault against the environment”. – It puts Norway to shame internationally. That we need these minerals for the green transition is nonsense, says Elvestuen. Leader of the Nature Conservation Association, Truls Gulowsen, says he is surprised by the decision. – This is a bombshell from the government. I never thought that the opening process would be rushed forward in this way after the knowledge base has been so thoroughly slaughtered in consultation responses from the Norwegian Environment Agency and the Institute of Marine Research, he says, and adds: – This is probably the most serious overrunning of environmental advice I have seen in the whole my prime time in Norwegian environmental policy. – A new low Frederic Hauge in Bellona says the opening for mining is completely irresponsible and incomprehensible by the government. – This is a new low in Norwegian marine and nature management, says Hauge. – Here Jonas Gahr Støre and Terje Aasland choose to go ahead with the opening, completely contrary to professional advice and despite the fact that AP’s national meeting has decided to be knowledge-based and precautionary, says Frederic Hauge. Bellona reacts to the government’s haste to allow mining on the seabed. – We risk enormous environmental damage. We don’t know the ecosystems that we are going to start destroying, says Hauge. The Oil Minister: – We have to make tough choices Oil and Energy Minister Terje Aasland. Photo: Marius Guttormsen / news – Both the implementation of the green shift and the handling of climate change are no simple matter, says Oil and Energy Minister Terje Aasland. Aasland believes it would be wrong to call this an opening of mining operations in the sea. – What we are talking about is picking up the minerals we need or scraping the seabed in very limited areas, he says. During the exploration phase, the companies must acquire knowledge, and ensure that they can document that this can be done in a sustainable, good, environmental way, explains the minister. – The research community believes it is going too fast. Why is the government in a hurry? – We are in a hurry with the green shift. We must cut greenhouse gas emissions, ensure that we can electrify society, says Aasland. The starting point is that we badly need more minerals for the green shift, he explains. – Today we lean on Russia and China, countries we may find it difficult to trust in the future. Then it is important that we consider whether we can extract these minerals that we badly need. – This must take place in a step-by-step manner, says Aasland. Norwegian company will become a world leader The government’s plans were very well received by the Norwegian company Loke Marine Minerals. They want to become the world leader in seabed mining. – I am positive about this. We started with this four years ago, and have worked with it both on the Norwegian continental shelf and internationally. It is very positive that Norway is taking responsibility in this area when we have a technology that no one else has, says director of Loke, Walter Sognness to news. He believes it is important that Norway takes the lead in investing in the extraction of seabed minerals. – I think many people see Norway as a country that has managed to manage the resources in the sea in a very good way. After all, we live from the sea. The Progress Party is also happy that the government is taking this step. – This is very positive. Extraction of minerals on the seabed can create jobs and value in large parts of Norway, as well as help provide the world with much-needed minerals, both to lift people out of poverty, maintain prosperity and contribute to the green shift, says Storting representative Bengt Rune Strifeldt ( FRP). The Conservative Party says that in order for them to take a position on the government’s proposal, they will carefully assess whether the process ensures a good enough knowledge base with regard to, among other things, the environment. – These are considerations that we do not take lightly, says Conservative politician Nikolai Astrup. – At the same time, it is objectionable that the government does not do anything that could give us more minerals in the short term on land. The government’s mineral strategy has been announced and postponed a number of times over the past two years, and no one knows when it will arrive. Equinor not interested Major companies such as Equinor have stated that they are not interested in exploring for seabed minerals. Aker BP has said it wants more information, but has not yet decided whether it will apply for exploration licenses for seabed minerals. Today, there is no large-scale mining on the seabed anywhere in the world. But the topic is in the air and several other countries have thrown themselves into the mineral race. At the same time, a number of countries have also advocated a temporary ban on mining until more knowledge is obtained about the environmental consequences. – When Equinor are skeptical, so should Lars Haltbrekken in SV. Photo: William Jobling / news Spokesperson for environment and climate in SV, Lars Haltbrekken believes the proposal is a disaster for the marine environment. – Both the environment, research and Equinor have been skeptical. When Equinor is, there really is reason to keep the warning lights flashing. – We are going to propose that it is not opened for mining activities. Here, things are obviously done in the wrong order. We believe that we should instead use the resources to investigate the consequences. They are asking to open areas as large as Italy to mining, it is very serious – the world needs these minerals. Where does SV stand there? – Yes, but we have to do it in a responsible way, then we cannot start a new large business that could have catastrophic consequences, says Haltbrekken. This remote-controlled robot weighs 25 tonnes and is designed for mineral extraction on the seabed. Here it is lowered to the depths of the Clarion Clipperton zone in the Pacific Ocean.
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– A black day for Norwegian nature – news Norway – Overview of news from various parts of the country
