Norway opens the door to deep-sea mining exploration in the Arctic, but at what environmental cost?

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🗞️ Driving the news: Norway's Parliament approved a plan to open a significant portion of its seabed for mining exploration, despite concerns about the environmental impacts of deep-sea mining and opposition from scientists and activists

🔭 The context: This decision follows a 2023 resource assessment revealing substantial metals and minerals on Norway’s continental shelf
• While initially only exploration licenses will be granted, this marks a significant step towards potential extraction, which must pass Parliament approval

🌍 Why it matters for the planet: The move to explore deep-sea mining in Norway raises environmental concerns, as these ecosystems are home to unique biodiversity and are crucial for carbon sequestration
• Potential mining activities could lead to irreversible damage to these underexplored ecosystems

⏭️ What's next: As exploration begins, the future steps towards extraction will be closely watched
• The Norwegian decision may set an international precedent, influencing other countries' approaches to seabed mining

💬 One quote: "They are opening a very new, vulnerable and enormous area that has been under-explored by scientists," (Haldis Tjeldflaat Helle of Greenpeace Norway)

📈 One stat: The decision opens up 280,000 square kilometers of seabed for exploration, an area larger than the United Kingdom

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