Shallow-water mining not a ‘silver bullet’ to resolve growing global need for metals: Study

Source: The post is based on the article “Shallow-water mining not a ‘silver bullet’ to resolve growing global need for metals: Study” published in Down To Earth on 15th September 2022.

What is the News?

A group of researchers has suggested that Shallow Water Mining is in direct conflict with Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainability Goals as the activity poses severe environmental risks.

What is Shallow Water Mining?

Mining metals such as gold, cobalt and copper from depths of 200 metres below the sea is known as ‘shallow-water mining’.

It is considered a relatively low-risk and low-cost option to satisfy the demand for metals and minerals.

Shallow-water mining projects are already underway in Namibia and Indonesia, and projects have been proposed in Mexico, New Zealand, and Sweden.

Why is Shallow water mining not considered a sustainable option?

Shallow Water Mining is not a sustainable substitute for Deep-Sea Mining.

This is because mining metals from the shallow-water ocean floor requires removing large amounts of sediment.

Removing these sediments, which takes thousands of years to accumulate, means jeopardizing organisms that call it home.

This could trigger local extinctions and changes in species composition. Other issues could be the impact on water quality and release of harmful substances from the sediment and disturbance from noise and light.

What is the suggestion given by the researchers?

Shallow-water mining activities should not be considered the “silver bullet to resolve the growing global need for metals” until the environmental and socioeconomic impacts are thoroughly investigated.