Environmental campaigners have welcomed an announcement by the Norwegian government that it will not explore its deep seabed for possible mining over the next four years.
The government announced its decision on Sunday after the ruling Labour party failed to get the needed support from other political groups to secure enough financing for the controversial plans as part of national budget discussions.
The pause is “a historic victory,” said Karoline Andaur, CEO of WWF-Norway, adding that “Norwegian politicians decided to listen to scientific expertise and to the strong public demand to protect the vulnerable deep-sea environment, rather than being swayed by the mining lobby.”
In 2024, Norway approved a proposal to open up a vast area of more than 280,000 square kilometers in the Arctic Ocean to seabed mining, but a change in government reignited tough negotiations with opposition parties.
The decision is significant to international efforts to ban the practice, as Norway’s willingness to start drilling at the bottom of the Arctic Ocean puts it at odds with countries supporting an international moratorium.
The practice — which has yet to be undertaken commercially — involves extracting minerals from the bottom of the ocean for use in a range of applications, including critical sectors such as clean energy and defense.
Environmental scientists have long warned of the risks that deep-sea mining poses to marine life and ecosystems, as well as its potential impacts on the ocean’s carbon cycle, which could reduce its ability to help mitigate global temperature rise.
“Millions of people across the world are calling on governments to resist the dire threat of deep sea mining to safeguard oceans worldwide,” said Louisa Casson, a campaigner for Greenpeace International.
Last September, POLITICO reported that the EU had revisited the prospect of a “responsible, precautionary and science-based approach to deep-sea mining,” amid immense pressure to diversify its supply of critical raw materials from China. Norway has signaled it wants to become a strategic partner to the EU when it comes to supplying these critical resources.
