Some of the most extraordinary animals on Earth live far below the ocean’s surface, clustered around hydrothermal vents in darkness, extreme pressure, and scorching heat.

Now, before scientists have even had the chance to understand many of these species, deep-sea mining could push them toward extinction.

A new update to the IUCN Red List found that 62% of the world’s known endemic hydrothermal-vent mollusks—125 out of 201 species—are at risk of extinction because of deep-sea mining. Mining exploration and extraction can destroy habitat and create sediment plumes that smother animals and interfere with their ability to breathe and absorb nutrients. Other pollution and industrial disturbance could harm marine life beyond the immediate mining site.

Minerals are important for batteries, electronics, renewable-energy infrastructure, manufacturing, national security, and many other modern needs. But meeting those needs does not justify rushing into one of the least understood ecosystems on Earth before scientists can determine the full consequences.

Deep-sea mining is not the only way to strengthen mineral supplies. Congress can invest in recycling and recovery, more efficient use of materials, alternative technologies, longer-lasting products, diversified supplies, and responsible sourcing. Any clean-energy transition or broader mineral strategy must respect ocean ecosystems rather than treating the deep sea as another sacrifice zone.

Representative Ed Case’s H.R. 664, the American Seabed Protection Act, would place a moratorium on commercial deep-sea mining in U.S. waters and by American companies on the high seas. It would also require a comprehensive study of the potential consequences for ocean species, carbon storage, fisheries, coastal communities, and Indigenous peoples.

The ocean supports wildlife, fisheries, coastal communities, cultures, and natural processes that help regulate the planet’s climate. Damage to some deep-sea habitats could last for decades or centuries—and the loss of species could never be reversed.

We cannot protect one public interest by recklessly sacrificing another.

Please contact your senators and representative and urge them to stop this dangerous rush into one of our planet’s last largely unexplored ecosystems. Ask them to cosponsor and pass the American Seabed Protection Act and advance a responsible mineral strategy founded on recycling, efficiency, scientific caution, secure and diversified supplies, and respect for ocean life.

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Source:

New York Times | Sea Mining Could Devastate an Enigmatic Group of Creatures, Researchers Warn