Mining the Oceans
70% of the world is covered by oceans. That leaves only 30% of the planet to be plundered for the $225US-billion annual mining industry, which feeds our insatiable modern lifestyles. If David Heydon of Nautilus Minerals gets his way however, the 70% of land hidden under the oceans is about to be razed for the treasures that were long beyond our reach. Gold, silver, copper, zinc and other base metals are just sitting on the ocean floor, if you buy into the snake oil being sold by Heydon. The price of getting to the treasure was of course an obstacle, but not anymore. Nautilus has raised hundreds of millions by going public, as well as obtaining seed investment from the mining establishment: Placer Dome, Epion Holdings, Anglo American, Teck Cominco and Barrick Gold. They have also cobbled together the technology and the expertise to be able to launch a drilling project off the coast of Papua New Guinea.
The Solwara Project, off Papua New Guinea, is focusing on areas around dead black smokers for exploration -- active black smokers are too hot and sulfurous to be mined. The implications to the environment are not understood, as the mining process has never been tested. Nautilus comments on the environmental concern of the Solwara Project on their website leave much to be desired.
Dredging the seafloor will have tremendous impact to the environment and life there -- and the oceans remain at the base of the world's food chain. If Nautilus is successful in generating a return from their operations, it will be the gold rush all over again. Nautilus has already discovered some unique life around the dormant smokers it's targeting to destroy. No one knows if that habitat is the only place where that life is being supported -- nor how robust the life there is. There are fears that the process to mine the ocean floor, consisting of dredging, them pumping the contents to the surface for processing, before sending the waste water back down into the ocean, would result in oceanic smog -- which, when carried on ocean currents, would be akin to acid rain that renders vast areas inhospitable to life. In response to these fears, Wired quotes Heydon as saying, "The environmentalists think that we're running out of ore on land, so now we're going to rape and pillage the sea. It's just a reaction -- it's not thought through." Yes, thought through -- that would seem to be the problem here -- and Heydon would have us trust him to think things through for us.
Today, the international laws governing the oceans of the world are in murky waters. The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea is fairly new in its adoption -- and faced stiff opposition for ratification by the US over the issue of mining the deep seabed. The nations of the world are still determining the details, such as the rules for seabed mining; the process to monitor and enforce rules; and how violations will be dealt with. In this environment, Nautilus is foraging ahead with little opposition, and a whole lot of spending to obtain support or silence.
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The Solwara Project, off Papua New Guinea, is focusing on areas around dead black smokers for exploration -- active black smokers are too hot and sulfurous to be mined. The implications to the environment are not understood, as the mining process has never been tested. Nautilus comments on the environmental concern of the Solwara Project on their website leave much to be desired.
As part of an environmental study, the volcanic structures and other features that are of interest to the exploration scientists are being carefully assessed. Environmental authorities and mining regulators are being kept fully appraised. Marine biologists from James Cook University (Australia), University of Toronto, Canada and the college of William and Mary in Virginia USA, were on board the DP Hunter and documented over 3000 geological and biological observations during the first phase of ROV exploration, which included over 65 dives. Materials collected and observations recorded will form part of an environmental baseline study and the ongoing environmental program of the Suzette field. Nautilus proposes to form a panel from the science community to manage the large data sets gathered from this leading edge program, to allow this wealth of data to be available to the broader scientific community for the good of science.They've basically said nothing here. They will keep the science community apprised of their operations, and will provide them with reams of data -- but, so what? There is no mention of how, if any feedback from environmental concerns, would be taken into consideration. Nor is there any guarantee that any findings by the science community will be independent. Most studies into black smokers are today being funded by Nautilus. The company has already bought the answers it will need to justify its operations. Nautilus claims their operations would be benign, but there's no basis for that assertion.
Dredging the seafloor will have tremendous impact to the environment and life there -- and the oceans remain at the base of the world's food chain. If Nautilus is successful in generating a return from their operations, it will be the gold rush all over again. Nautilus has already discovered some unique life around the dormant smokers it's targeting to destroy. No one knows if that habitat is the only place where that life is being supported -- nor how robust the life there is. There are fears that the process to mine the ocean floor, consisting of dredging, them pumping the contents to the surface for processing, before sending the waste water back down into the ocean, would result in oceanic smog -- which, when carried on ocean currents, would be akin to acid rain that renders vast areas inhospitable to life. In response to these fears, Wired quotes Heydon as saying, "The environmentalists think that we're running out of ore on land, so now we're going to rape and pillage the sea. It's just a reaction -- it's not thought through." Yes, thought through -- that would seem to be the problem here -- and Heydon would have us trust him to think things through for us.
Today, the international laws governing the oceans of the world are in murky waters. The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea is fairly new in its adoption -- and faced stiff opposition for ratification by the US over the issue of mining the deep seabed. The nations of the world are still determining the details, such as the rules for seabed mining; the process to monitor and enforce rules; and how violations will be dealt with. In this environment, Nautilus is foraging ahead with little opposition, and a whole lot of spending to obtain support or silence.
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