– We will take up the fight against opening up mining on the seabed at the Labor Party’s national meeting, and we also expect the Labor Party’s national meeting to support that, says Astrid Hoem, leader of AUF. Mining is in the wind during the day. The minerals extracted are important ingredients in climate solutions such as electric car batteries and wind turbines. And the world needs more of them going forward. It is likely that the government will start looking for minerals at the bottom of the sea as early as this spring. The area under consideration is 1.5 times as large as the whole of Norway. If the Storting votes in favour, Norway could become one of the first countries in the world to develop a completely new industry. Hoem and AUF are not saying no to seabed minerals forever. But their conditions are clear. Photo: Milana Knezevic / news But AUF believes that things have gone too fast in the corners. At the national meeting, they will put forward a proposal to put the brakes on. – We are concerned that if one opens now, it will destroy large parts of our seabed. That there will be major consequences for the wildlife around. That there will be unintended consequences that we don’t know about now, says Hoem. – We must manage to find minerals that take us into the green shift, but we cannot do it in such a way that we destroy nature at the same time. 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: Norwegian Petroleum Directorate / NPD – Not radical A number of marine scientists and environmental organizations have warned that today we know very little about life at a depth of several thousand metres. A major boost in knowledge is needed to be able to assess whether and how to extract seabed minerals in a safe way, according to several experts. AUF points out that the European Commission recommends a temporary ban for environmental reasons. And that large companies such as Equinor are not interested in the industry. Hoem believes that AUF’s proposal at the national meeting is not radical. – What is radical here is wanting to open without having the sufficient knowledge base, she says. Minister of Oil and Energy and Labor leader Terje Aasland could not be interviewed in this case. He has previously said that seabed minerals can become an “exciting new industry”, given that it can happen “with an acceptable degree of environmental impact”. This was found at a depth of almost 1,000 meters off the coast of Møre and Romsdal. Large parts of the seabed are still unknown. Photo: Institute of Marine Research / Mareano Seabed adventure in Harstad? Aasland gets support from Harstad mayor and party member Kari-Anne Opsal. The sea areas considered for mining are located in the north. Harstad and Northern Norway should therefore help develop an industry that can create many new jobs, Opsal believes. – The green shift cannot wait. Then we need minerals. It can either happen on land or on water. I think Norway must also take part in this, but of course in an environmentally sustainable way, she tells news on her way to the national meeting in Oslo. Opsal believes that seabed minerals have received far too little attention. Photo: Harstad municipality Opsahl believes that limited exploration should be opened in the first instance, in order to gain more knowledge. But even if she disagrees with AUF, she warmly welcomes the debate. – How can we gain more knowledge? Should we use the same strategies we have used, proceed gradually and carefully, and get the industry involved? Or should we just stop? That is what needs to be discussed, and I look forward to that discussion. AUF does not say no to seabed minerals forever, emphasizes Hoem. But they refuse to move forward without more knowledge about the ecosystems in the depths. That can be collected without opening the door to exploration, she says. – Because if we open up for exploration, we know that to the greatest extent it will also lead to an opening for mining. Manganese crust and sulphide, examples of the type of minerals found on the Norwegian continental shelf. Photo: Heiko Junge / NTB
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AUF will stop the government’s plans for mining on the seabed – news – Klima
