Just this week, Nauru, a tiny island nation off Australia's northeast coast, issued an ultimatum to the United Nations: finish the talks on deep-sea mining rules in the next two years or less. Deep-sea mining, once a far-fetched concept reserved for science fiction, is rapidly becoming a reality. The concept of self-operating machines crawling across the ocean floor harvesting resource-rich nodules is becoming a reality because to advances in advanced robotic technology and the exponential expansion of artificial intelligence. With the advancement of technology, however, inventors and entrepreneurs seeking to engage in the next frontier of mining must now seek for real-world lands in which to explore.

There are potentially many benefits to pursuing deep-sea mining. Deep Green, a deep-sea mining company believes that the collection of deep-sea metallic nodules could be a way to free the world from the pollution and toxic waste from mining on land. Furthermore, the company believes that since most of the nodules cover the surface of the ocean floor, the recovery of such materials could take place without disturbing the sea or causing the release of methane and carbon sinks. The company also makes the calculation that, while there may be an impact on ecosystems on the ocean floor, “the abyssal seafloor carries 300 to 1,500 times less life...than ecosystems on land…if we source...from seafloor nodules, we can reduce the destruction of more biodiverse ecosystems” Clearly, many deep-sea mining companies believe that by recovering resources from the ocean floor, the surface of our planet can be protected.

In deciding whether or not to continue the pursuit of resources at the bottom of our planet’s surface, the public, businesses, and the government have to decide whether or not to sacrifice an unseen future underneath the sea for one above it. While a brighter future above the waves may seem desirable, will it be worth a floor of sludge in the depth of our seas?

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