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WWF condemns Norway's deep seabed mining plans as "one of the worst
environmental decisions Norway has ever made" as government plans to open ocean
area larger than UK to mining

Posted on 20 June 2023


OSLO, Norway (20 June 2023) – WWF strongly condemns the Norwegian government's
decision today to open up 281,000 square kilometers of its ocean – an area
larger than the size of the UK – to deep seabed mining in the sensitive Arctic.
Norway is now likely to be the first nation in the world to start deep-sea
mining operations, should the proposal be approved through its parliament later
this year.

A whitepaper presented by The Ministry of Petroleum and Energy earlier today
detailed the government's plans to open its extended continental shelf within
the Arctic to deep seabed mining. There is still a chance, however, that this
decision could be overturned through a vote in parliament, expected in October
or November 2023. WWF is calling on the Norwegian government to immediately stop
this process and support a global moratorium on deep seabed mining until the
environmental, social and economic ramifications are clear, and a robust impact
assessment is completed that complies with its national legal standards.

“This is one of the worst environmental decisions Norway has ever made,”
explains Jessica Battle, Global Lead for WWF’s No Deep Seabed Mining Initiative.
“This decision goes against the government’s own environmental agency, which has
already declared that the recently concluded impact assessment, violates the
country’s Seabed Minerals Act and doesn’t adequately address potential
transboundary impacts to other nations because of a serious lack of scientific
data. These waters contain vulnerable Arctic marine species and are already
threatened by ice reduction from the impacts of the climate crisis. At a time
when the world is celebrating the formal adoption of the High Seas Treaty just
yesterday, this move by the Norwegian government is complete hypocrisy.”

The decision comes as nations are gearing up to attend the International Seabed
Authority (ISA) Council meeting in July in Jamaica. States are expecting a
decision on the ‘two-year rule’ triggered by Nauru. If Nauru submits a license
and that is approved, it would be the first ever approved exploitation license
for deep seabed mining in the high seas. With the mining regulations currently
not in a state fit to be adopted due to serious knowledge gaps, WWF is calling
for no license to be approved, and many countries are calling for a
precautionary pause. 

If Norway proceeds with deep seabed mining, the ISA is currently set to receive
7% of its profits, as the proposal is located in Norway’s extended continental
shelf, and not in Norway’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).

Despite the Norwegian government claiming their plans to accelerate deep seabed
mining are to support the green transition, this has been refuted by
international experts that have labeled these claims as misleading, most
recently by the European Association of Science Councils. WWF’s Future is
Circular report published in November last year, lays out clearly that the
demand for minerals can be reduced by 58% through innovation in renewable
technology and circular economy measures. The report details that through
mandating product-life extension for everyday electronics containing precious
minerals, such as mobile phones or computers, and material recovery among
others, governments can lead the way toward a “closed-loop” economy that works
with nature, not against it.

“This developed world green transition savior narrative that the Norwegian
government seems to be pushing is all smoke and mirrors,” says Kaja Lønne
Fjærtoft, Global Policy Lead for WWF’s No Deep Seabed Mining Initiative. “Deep
seabed mining is not necessary to meet the demand and will come too late to
contribute to the energy transition. We do not need to open up a new industrial
frontier with unknown planetary consequences, we must invest in a sustainable
circular economy, meeting the demand through urban mining and alternative
innovative technologies. We are in the midst of a climate and biodiversity
crisis. We must not try to solve a problem while ignoring predicted consequences
that could make the original problem even bigger.” 

Norway is also a co-chair, along with Palau of the High Level Panel for a
Sustainable Ocean Economy, a collective of 17 world leaders known as the ‘Ocean
Panel’. Ocean Panel members have committed to 100% sustainable ocean management
by 2025, and that deep seabed mining should only go ahead if it is ‘ecologically
sustainable’ - which it is not. Palau is already calling for a moratorium on
deep seabed mining, WWF believes Norway should follow suit or indeed yield its
leadership under the current circumstances.

Norway's plan also contradicts the scientific advice around designating marine
protected and conserved areas in the Arctic. “As new chair of the Arctic
Council, Norway has declared its priorities to 'develop an Arctic network of
conserved and protected areas and other effective area-based conservation
measures', as well as 'implementing ecosystem-based ocean management'. This
decision undermines the Norwegian chairship ambitions from the outset,” says
Vicki Lee Wallgren, Arctic Programme Director, WWF.

WWF and many other international and national organizations, along with more
than 1,000 of Norwegian citizens have previously called on the government to
stop the opening process and support a moratorium on deep seabed mining. While
other countries are making responsible decisions that uphold international
commitments under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, the UN
Sustainable Development Goals, the Convention on Migratory Species and the High
Seas Treaty, Norway’s decision contravenes these.

[ENDS]

Notes to Editors
For further information, please contact news@wwfint.org

About the World Wide Fund for Nature
WWF is an independent conservation organization, with over 30 million supporters
and a global network active in over 100 countries. WWF's mission is to stop the
degradation of the Earth's natural environment and to build a future in which
humans live in harmony with nature, by conserving the world's biological
diversity, ensuring that the use of renewable natural resources is sustainable,
and promoting the reduction of pollution and wasteful consumption. Visit
www.panda.org/news for the latest news and media resources and follow us on
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