– It is a shame that the government wants to defy Norwegian and international law and carry out an illegal opening, says secretary general of the WWF World Wildlife Fund, Karoline Andaur to news. Secretary General of the WWF World Wide Fund for Nature, Karoline Andaur, believes it is a shame that the government allows illegal opening and extraction of seabed minerals. Photo: WWF As early as 2020, the Ministry of Petroleum and Energy began the process of opening up the Norwegian continental shelf for the extraction of seabed minerals. And in June this year, Oil and Energy Minister Terje Aasland (Ap) confirmed that the government is opening the door to hunting for valuable minerals on the seabed. The government thus defied warnings from both the environmental movement, several international companies and researchers. Now the environmental organization WWF believes that a possible opening decision breaks several laws. – Illegal opening The area the government wants to open up for exploration is 281,000 square kilometers and lies in the Barents Sea and the Greenland Sea. 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 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 the extraction will cause. – Mining on the seabed is very controversial, and now 23 countries have asked that the pause button be pressed, says Andaur. Now it may turn out that Norway is breaking several laws by allowing the exploration and extraction of minerals in the deep sea. On behalf of WWF, the law firm Wikborg og Rein has worked on preparing a report on the legal consequences associated with the opening. news has seen the report. It believes that there is considerable legal uncertainty as to whether the legal requirements for an opening decision have been met. The report highlights three different factors: Shortfalls in the impact assessment Norway’s international obligations Geopolitical consequences linked to the Svalbard Treaty Enormous values The reason the government wants to open up exploration and extraction is that there are values worth billions of kroner on the Norwegian seabed. According to the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate, there are 38 million tonnes of copper and 45 million tonnes of zinc on the Norwegian continental shelf. Norway is one of the few countries in the world that will allow companies to search for minerals in the deep sea. They believe it can create great value for our country. Going forward, there will be a need for much more minerals, to make everything from batteries to wind turbines. Seabed minerals are therefore also considered by many as a possible important piece in the green shift. – Insufficient impact assessment The report highlights, among other things, that a thorough enough impact assessment of an opening has not been carried out. – If there is one thing the Supreme Court has been clear about in the environmental cases that have gone before the court, it is that in cases with major societal consequences, the requirement for thoroughness in the investigations is extremely high, says Andaur. The aim of the study is to shed light on the effects an opening can have on the environment and industry-related, economic and social effects. According to the report, the current impact assessment does not meet this requirement. It points to the area’s size, and that the study has taken too little account of local environmental conditions, which will vary over the large area that is proposed to be opened. We know very little about the vulnerable ecosystems in the deep sea. The environmental movement fears we risk enormous environmental damage by digging on the seabed. Photo: UiB – Center for Deep Sea Research – Can damage Norway’s reputation Norway also has several international obligations related to environmental impact assessments. An opening may result in a breach of, among other things, the Aarhus Convention, the Convention on the Law of the Sea, the Seabed Minerals Act, the Nature Convention and the Svalbard Treaty. Norway’s obligations The Aarhus Convention has been implemented in Norwegian law through the Environmental Information Act, and aims to strengthen the individual’s right to live in an environment that ensures health and well-being. The Svalbard Treaty is an international agreement that ensures “Norway’s full and unrestricted” sovereignty over Svalbard. The treaty also establishes conditions that Norway must fulfill in the management of the area. The Svalbard Treaty was signed on 9 February 1920 and entered into force on 14 August 1925, and has been ratified by a total of 44 countries. However, not all states and international professional groups agree with Norway’s understanding and application of the Svalbard Treaty, including, among others, Great Britain and the Netherlands. Norway can thus risk international investigation by not fulfilling its legal obligations. According to the report, there is a risk that “it will be attacked and become known as invalid”. WWF fears this will damage Norway’s reputation. – The decision to start mining in Norwegian sea areas can have major consequences not only for nature and the climate, but also for Norway’s reputation, says Andaur. – An opening does not mean extraction – The only right thing to do is withdraw the proposal, and recognize that we do not have the knowledge to open a single sea area for this immature industry, says head of Nature and Youth, Gina Gylver. State Secretary Elisabeth Sæther (Ap) assures that the government will only start extraction of seabed minerals if it can be done in a responsible manner. Photo: Lena Marja Myrskog / news She says it will be up to the Storting to “clean up if the government continues to ignore all environmental authorities and experts”. The government emphasizes that an opening in itself will not lead to extraction activity on the shelf. – It is only if we learn that any extraction of seabed minerals can be done in a responsible and sustainable way, that we will give approval to plans for extraction, says State Secretary Elisabeth Sæther (Ap) to news. The government believes that the legal basis for the impact assessment is good enough for an opening decision.
ttn-69
Norway’s decision to extract seabed minerals is illegal – news Norway – Overview of news from different parts of the country
