Why are temperatures pushing 70℉ in November? Two words: climate change. The disastrous effects of this phenomenon can be seen across many areas of the world, whether that be through the extreme temperatures, increases in hurricanes, or rising sea levels. There is also no denying that the world is becoming highly dependent on fossil fuels. However, to transition to clean energy and solve these problems, it is vital to obtain up to six times more metals.
Metals make up such a significant part of our society, with their primary role being in creating electronic devices, stainless steel, car engines, and electrical wiring. However, with the limited amount found on land and demand for materials surging, it is important to turn to alternative sources, such as the vast mineral deposits found in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ) of the Pacific Ocean. The minerals found solely in the CCZ are more than all land-based deposits in the world together. While there are significant environmental and ethical concerns associated with deep-sea mining, it is not possible to completely dismiss its potential in supporting our world.
The Clarion-Clipperton Zone is a region in the Pacific Ocean that spans 1.7 million square miles, with a depth of approximately 4,000 to 5,500 meters. It’s located in the southeast of Hawaii, in the area. The Area, defined by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), is “the ocean floor, seabed, and subsoil beyond the limits of national jurisdiction.”
Up to 12 miles off a coastal country’s shores is their sovereignty territory. 200 miles further is the border of their exclusive economic zone, which is where the respective country can have fisheries, mine, or drill for oil. 72% of the deep ocean sits in the Area, meaning that it is not controlled by any country, but instead by UNCLOS.
During the 1870s, the British HMS Challenger made a journey around the world to survey the ocean. They came across multiple rocks containing metals such as nickel, manganese, and cobalt that dredged up from the seafloor. In the 1960s-70s, many multinational companies went into a frenzy trying to obtain the metals found in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone (valued at billions of dollars), such as “companies from China, Japan, the Soviet Union, Australia, the US, and European countries.” These corporations tested mining equipment and captured some of the earliest photographs of seafloor rocks.
However, because of this hysteria, the Maltese delegation warned the UN about repeating colonialism and rich countries getting richer, while the poor countries face poverty. In 1982, the United Nations convened to adopt laws governing the sea, which were signed by over 100 countries. These laws established three key conditions as a basis for mining in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone. Firstly, the deep sea mining activities must benefit all of humanity regardless of the location. Second, it must address the specific interests and needs of developing countries. Finally, the deep sea mining activities must ensure the protection of the marine environment. To ensure the proper compliance to these laws, the International Seabed Authority was established, and member states include those that signed the laws of the sea.
Ever since the discovery of the Clarion-Clipperton Zone, the potential of deep sea mining has been discussed extensively on an international level. The CCZ’s incredibly immense vault of cobalt consists of “trillions of potato-size rocklike deposits rich in nickel, manganese, copper, zinc, cobalt, and other minerals lying atop a muddy bottom.” Access to these minerals can not only help sustain increasing demands, but also ensure security in regards to the limited amount of these resources. For instance, cobalt, a mineral that is prominently found there, is “used in numerous diverse commercial, industrial, and military applications.”
Deep-sea mining in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone is a necessary solution to meet the rising demand for critical metals, as it offers a vast and untapped supply of essential resources and the potential to transition to cleaner energy systems. Land-based mining alone cannot keep pace with rising demand of technology, especially with the limited supply of resources from underground. With the expansion of technological advancements, society cannot continue to progress without the continuous stream of metals to fuel existing technologies. Global demand for these major metals is likely to “increase continuously over the 21st century, increasing approximately 2–6-fold depending on the metal.” With the metals available at the CCZ, it will be possible to continue funding the world we live in with the necessary resources, as land-based deposits will not be able to sustain the needs for much longer.
The Clarion-Clipperton Zone’s potential goes beyond solely upkeeping international pressure to sustain the advancements that drive society, however. This resource holds vast deposits of polymetallic nodules that can provide an abundance of metals such as cobalt, manganese, and nickel, which can ensure the production of batteries, wind turbines, as well as other green energy infrastructure. Through harnessing the CCZ’s resources responsibly, this mineral-rich seafloor region can support the global transition to cleaner energy systems while simultaneously alleviating supply chain constraints for minerals. ISA countries in support of deep sea mining like China, Norway, and the UK argue that “our clean energy transition depends on finding more metals.” The Metals Company, who is determined to tap into the resources of the Clarion-Clipperton Zone, says their mission is “to help the project of decarbonizing global energy and transport.” The International Energy Agency (IEA) has declared that “the production of minerals critical to clean energy technologies, such as batteries, may need to quadruple over the next two decades to achieve the Paris Agreement warming limit of ‘well below’ 2C—or to expand by as much as six times to reach net-zero globally by 2050.” With minerals from the Clarion-Clipperton Zone, it will be possible to obtain minerals that can support the production of technology for green energy initiatives, such as wind turbines and batteries.
The Clarion-Clipperton Zone has immense potential to address the world’s growing needs for minerals for both sustaining the current reliance on technologies such as electronic devices, car engines, and jet engines, as well as promoting the creation of technologies for green energy resources. However, it is not worth denying a significant disadvantage of deep sea mining in this region, such as the devastation of underwater ecosystems. By mining in these secluded ecosystems, the machinery can “kick up massive sediment plumes that travel for miles underwater and deters marine life.” In a study of a mining test done off the coast of Japan, “researchers found that digging up their seabed caused as much as a 43% decline in fish and shrimp populations for up to a year after a sediment plume was triggered. Similar plumes are expected from mining in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone.” Therefore, the most significant step that can be taken to consider both the significant benefits of deep sea mining, as well as the potential it has in destroying underwater ecosystems, is the advancement of research to better understand the Clarion-Clipperton Zone. The depth and isolation of the CCZ leads to uncertainty about the impact of deep sea mining, so it is vital to invest in research from international actors. Although there are 32 countries that are against deep sea mining, and dozens that support it, through collective support for research on the CCZ can ensure that everyone benefits from the findings, regardless of their stance. This way, next steps on utilizing the resources from the Clarion-Clipperton Zone can be made with backing from actual research on the region. Through a unified approach, research on this untapped underwater zone can provide the information that is necessary to balance the increasing need for deep-sea mining with the responsibility of preserving marine life.
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This article was edited by Matthew Quirindongo and Sofia Roshan Hope Gellada.
