Should We Be Mining the Ocean Floor, The Hidden Costs No One Is Talking About

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The largest ecosystem on Earth is about
to be mined, and most people on the

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planet don't even know it's happening.

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Decisions are being made right now
about the Ocean floor, thousands

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of meters below the surface with
consequences that could last longer

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than human civilization itself.

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We're gonna talk about why that's so
important for the future of the Ocean and

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future for conservation and the people
where this mining is going to happen.

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On this episode of the How
to Protect the Ocean Podcast.

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Let's start the show.

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Hey everybody.

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Welcome back to another exciting episode
of the How to Protect the Ocean Podcast.

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I'm your host, Angelou and Marine
biologist and science communicator

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here to tell you what's happening with
the Ocean, how you can speak up for

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the Ocean, and what you can do to live
for a better Ocean by taking action.

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And today, as we kind of wrap up the
annual year of 2025, there have been

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a lot of things going on in the Ocean.

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Some of them I've covered extensively,
like over the past week or so.

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We've covered the offshore plan,
the US offshore plan for oil

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and gas drilling, and the leases
that's going on right there.

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We're covering a lot more in the future.

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I've got a different episode for 2026,
but today we're gonna be covering

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something that I've been expressly
covering throughout the year as the

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topic of deep sea mining has become.

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A huge priority it seems in the US and
it's something that we need to talk about.

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And so I wanted to kind
of reset a little bit.

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We've had Dr. Andrew Thaler on
the podcast to talk about deep sea

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mining, fed other people as well,
but Andrew has been on a number of

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times to kind of give us the low down.

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I wanted to kind of.

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Summarize, you know what it is
that we're gonna be talking about?

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Like what is deep sea mining, the
types, I know we've gone over it before,

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but just in case you haven't seen
those episode, what those types are.

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We're gonna talk about what the
International Seabed Authority is, what

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their role is in all this, and why this
is happening in the US mining and RFIs,

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and all these requests for information
and public comment is happening in the

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US and where it's happening and why it's
so scary that it's happening right now.

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And then we're gonna talk
about what you can do.

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Write the audience.

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What you can do after listening to
this, if you feel inspired, you feel

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charged to say, Hey, I don't want this
happening in my backyard, in the us.

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Or maybe you're in the Pacific
Islands where a lot of this deep

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sea mining is proposed, and you're
like, no, not in my backyard.

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I don't want this to happen.

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We're gonna talk about
that on today's episode.

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By the way, speaking of the
Pacific Islands, I just want

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to make a quick announcement.

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There is a podcast that I, I'm creating
as a co-host, a different podcast

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that's gonna be on the network.

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It's gonna be live, it's
gonna be on YouTube.

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We're gonna put the recordings on
audio, but it's gonna be with my

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dear friend Angelo Villa Gomez,
who is from the Mariana Islands.

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I lives in dc, works in Ocean
conservation, and the guy's amazing.

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We get along really well.

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We decided to do a podcast together.

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It's been in the works for
the last few months, something

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I've always wanted to do.

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So I'm very excited to sort of,
kind of tease that a little bit.

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It's gonna be a lot of fun.

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I can't wait.

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It's gonna be live on YouTube And then
we're going to put it on audio after that.

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So keep an eye out for that in 2026.

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It's gonna be a lot of fun.

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And we're gonna talk about Deep Sea money.

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We're gonna talk about Marion Islands.

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We're gonna talk about on that podcast,
like indigenous conservation and

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indigenous knowledge and knowledge
systems and everything like that.

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But we're gonna talk a lot
about conservation in general.

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It's gonna be a. Ton of fun.

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We're gonna talk about some really great
topics and I can't wait to do that.

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Okay, let's start talking
about deep sea mining.

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So the first thing is like,
what is deep sea mining?

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Let's talk about the foundation.

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The simple definition is deep sea mining
is the extraction of minerals from the

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Ocean floor, usually thousands of meter
below the surface, these minerals.

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Are used in batteries, electronics,
renewable energy technologies,

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and military equipment.

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Unlike land mining, this happens in
ecosystems that have evolved over millions

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of years with almost no disturbance.

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So there's definitely an environmental
significance to this and a very.

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Cautious flag that's going up when
we talk about deep sea mining.

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But why are companies
wanting to mine the deep sea?

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There's a growing demand for metals
like cobalt, nickel, copper, manganese,

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and other rare earth minerals.

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Obviously on land.

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When they land in other
countries, countries control that.

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There are some human rights violations
and human rights concerns with a

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lot of the mining is happening in
Africa for these very same metals.

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It's framed as like a necessary for
energy transition and to take pressure

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off landmines that have a lot of
human rights abuses attached to it.

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And it's often marketed as a
cleaner than land-based mining.

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But that's heavily contested 'cause we
don't really know what this mining can do.

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Well, we kind of do, we have
some preliminary research of what

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this mining can do, and we'll
talk about that in a minute.

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But there's three types of
mining for the deep sea.

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There's polymetallic nodules,
so these are potato sized rocks

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scattered across the abyssal plane.

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They're found about 4,000
to 6,000 meters deep.

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They contain nickel, cobalt,
manganese, and copper, which are

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those metals that we're looking for.

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And the method is just giant machines
that vacuum them off the seabed.

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Now, when they vacuum off
the seabed, it almost.

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Sounds harmless, like they're just taking
those little potato sized rocks, but

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they're actually taking up a lot of that
initial layer that of sand or gravel or

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whatever's at the bottom of the Ocean
and all the animals that are within that.

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So the nodules grow over millions of years
and our habitat for some deep sea life.

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There are a lot of different
things that we have to worry

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about when it comes to that.

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Now there's C four massive sulfide.

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Found near hydrothermal vents, rich
in copper, zinc, gold, and silver.

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The mining method is cutting
and grinding vent structures.

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And then the problem with
that is hydrothermal vents

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support unique ecosystems that
exist nowhere else on earth.

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Plus, we still don't know it's
roll within the deep sea proper.

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And if we start mining those
hydrothermal vents or the areas

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around those hydrothermal vent.

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It could be a big problem
for our entire ecosystem.

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Again, there's a lot of mystery around
what could happen if we disrupt a

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lot of these hydrothermal vents.

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And then there's cobalt rich
crust, so found on underwater

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mountains called sea mounts form.

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A hard crust over rock mining method
is scraping and cutting the crust off.

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So the problem is it destroys slow growing
coral and sponge ecosystems, which.

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To be fair, we don't even see, I think
when you think about sea mounts, think

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about these large mountain ranges
and they kind of are flat at the top.

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They're gonna be cutting
pieces of those out.

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But there are animals on that.

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There're sponges, there are
corals, there are different

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animals that provide habitats.

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And these sea mounts are really
diverse with unique organisms and

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species that have these areas.

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And so to disrupt all that.

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Again is disrupting.

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It's probably one of the most
destructive types of deep sea mining.

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So, you know, we have all these different
ways, these three different ways.

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We know what deep sea mining is.

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Now, you probably wonder like if we're
gonna go through with this, there's

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gotta be some type of body that looks
after and make sure that people are

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not going too far and too crazy and
destroying the Ocean by trying to

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get all these metals up and around.

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So there is what's called UN
International Seabed Authority.

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Okay, and this authority is the ISA.

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This authority, it's UN
affiliated, is created under the UN

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Convention of the Law of the Sea.

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So you have to be a signatory of
the Law of the Sea to participate.

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It's responsible for regulating,
mining and international waters,

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also known as the area, which
is like anything in the high.

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Sea.

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So anything that is not managed by
a country, the ISA is looking at it.

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Other than that, the countries can
manage their own deep sea mining,

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And so the mandate is to protect
the Marine environment, ensure

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benefits are shared globally.

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That's the key here because what happens
is when you mine in, in high Seas.

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And you could destroy the
environment like we talked about.

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We still don't know the full ramifications
or consequences of this mining.

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Let's be honest.

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Probably not gonna be good.

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And we just don't know how it's
gonna affect the areas where

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that mining's gonna happen.

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So for instance, I'm Canadian.

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If a Canadian company goes in, in say
the Pacific, and there's all these

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islands around where they're mining,
they start to say the Claptons,

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Clipon area, something like that.

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If they start going after that
area and all this destruction

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happens, and those areas are.

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Affected, like they have the consequences,
but they don't take any of the benefit.

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The ISA makes sure that they get some
of the benefit of that because they're

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the closest land masses to that area.

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So it's a lot of regulation, it's a lot
of, you know, making sure that everything

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is equal and making sure that we are not.

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Disrupting the balance of the environment,
but also socially and economically, the

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people around that live around there
and have to deal with the consequences.

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Very much like climate change where
everybody's gotta have a say and everybody

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has to be not necessarily equal per se.

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Obviously it'd be nice if it was everybody
was equal, but there are some voices that

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are louder than others, let's just say.

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And the ISA has been going back.

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Forth with a lot of countries and
scientists And so forth, and there's

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been some corruption in the past.

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Now there's a new leader, a new chair
of this ISA that's more environmentally

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focused, so they're taking their time.

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And to be honest, as Dr. Andrew Thaler
has been on the podcast before, he said,

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Hey, like it's time that we just make
sure that we are doing great things.

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Like we have an opportunity to make sure
that these regulations are going to help.

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And if they help, then we are
able to make sure that we're not

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destroying the environment so we
have a chance to get it right.

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This is the chance to make sure that
deep sea mining doesn't affect the

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environment as much as we think it is,
or if it is, it's just locally and it's

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not that big of a deal, and we make
sure we take the measures to do this.

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But there are some companies out
there who just wanna start and they

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don't care about the environment.

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They don't care as much.

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Although I'm not gonna say
every company's like that.

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Certain people like know that they need to
do this to help with the new renewables,

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so they want to help with climate change.

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But we have to be careful.

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We are in uncharted territory
here and we don't know what bad

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things we can do to the Ocean.

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And let's be honest, we do bad
things to the Ocean all the time.

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And so this is a chance to stop that
from happening through regulation

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and making sure we do things right.

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So right now the ISA has issued
exploration contracts to multiple

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countries and companies and some
commercial mining regulations

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are still not finalized.

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And environmental standards are
incomplete and heavily debated

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still, so it's still a big problem.

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With that said, And then many
scientists say that baseline data

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is insufficient to assess any type
of harm, so we don't have enough.

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There's been a huge rush from scientists
and organizations and institutes to try

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and get as much information as possible,
but we're pretty much starting from

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scratch, And so we don't know everything.

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There has been some research, which
we'll talk about in just a minute.

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So the core problem here is.

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Mining may begin before there
are strong enough regulations

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to prevent irreversible damages.

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Now these are just exploratory, so it's
not gonna be huge damages, and it's a

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chance for researchers to really look
at what those damages are gonna be.

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And there's some research that have
come out recently that showed that the

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regeneration of animals and diversity of
those animals within a specific area that

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has been mined two years past from mining
still hasn't recovered to the full amount.

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So imagine if those areas
are constantly being mined.

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What's gonna happen to those areas
and how that's gonna affect just the

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length of regeneration of those animals.

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And the succession rate, the rate
of replacement is not as high as we

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probably thought in the first place.

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Now it's worms and a lot of invertebrates
and things like that, but it's diverse

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and they're there for a reason.

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00:10:44,185 --> 00:10:46,525
They're not just there for the
fun of it, And so we just don't

228
00:10:46,525 --> 00:10:49,495
know exactly what they're there
for and why they're so important.

229
00:10:49,615 --> 00:10:52,975
So with all of this, like the ISA
is still being very cautious in

230
00:10:53,035 --> 00:10:54,475
giving out these types of permits.

231
00:10:54,475 --> 00:10:57,085
And even like it gave out permits
to Norway and Norway all of a

232
00:10:57,085 --> 00:10:58,015
sudden was like, you know what?

233
00:10:58,135 --> 00:10:59,365
We're not gonna do this.

234
00:10:59,425 --> 00:11:03,325
We've decided not to do this and we're
gonna put it off till 2032, which is

235
00:11:03,325 --> 00:11:06,535
great for the Ocean to find out, hey,
make sure we're not destroying the

236
00:11:06,535 --> 00:11:08,485
environment in the process of exploration.

237
00:11:08,575 --> 00:11:09,685
So they're gonna hold off.

238
00:11:09,685 --> 00:11:09,925
So.

239
00:11:09,940 --> 00:11:14,680
The ISA is doing a really great job in
tempering the expectations of companies

240
00:11:14,680 --> 00:11:18,220
and what were they're gonna be able
to do, so we can't just go tomorrow.

241
00:11:18,220 --> 00:11:23,260
That was really until this
past year, and in 2025, we got

242
00:11:23,260 --> 00:11:24,430
something that was very scary.

243
00:11:24,430 --> 00:11:27,040
The Metals company, a Canadian
company, believe it or not,

244
00:11:27,100 --> 00:11:28,225
went to the US and said, Hey.

245
00:11:28,685 --> 00:11:31,324
Let's mine the Deep Sea within us waters.

246
00:11:31,324 --> 00:11:35,135
We don't need the ISA and the US is not
part of the ISA 'cause it's not part of

247
00:11:35,135 --> 00:11:36,875
the UN Convention of the Law of the Sea.

248
00:11:36,964 --> 00:11:37,834
They're not part of that.

249
00:11:37,834 --> 00:11:40,055
So they don't need to worry about the ISA.

250
00:11:40,055 --> 00:11:43,055
They're not a voting member,
but they can still mine Deep Sea

251
00:11:43,055 --> 00:11:45,155
Mine within their own country.

252
00:11:45,244 --> 00:11:49,025
Instead, the US is pursuing deep
sea seabed mining within its own

253
00:11:49,025 --> 00:11:52,145
waters because they haven't been
part of the talks of the ISA.

254
00:11:52,390 --> 00:11:55,120
Because let's just say there's
an administration that is more

255
00:11:55,150 --> 00:11:58,660
worried about gaining natural
resources and using its natural

256
00:11:58,660 --> 00:12:00,790
resources for money and extraction.

257
00:12:00,880 --> 00:12:03,640
They're not necessarily
worried about the environment.

258
00:12:03,760 --> 00:12:04,270
Let's be honest.

259
00:12:04,270 --> 00:12:05,980
They don't care about
the people around it.

260
00:12:05,980 --> 00:12:08,560
They've shown that because of
where they've put the sites.

261
00:12:08,560 --> 00:12:09,610
So there are two sites.

262
00:12:09,610 --> 00:12:09,655
There's been.

263
00:12:10,000 --> 00:12:12,880
Request for information
for these leasing areas.

264
00:12:12,940 --> 00:12:16,000
What that means is they put out a
public comment period and they put

265
00:12:16,000 --> 00:12:18,850
out information that they're getting
companies to put out information.

266
00:12:18,850 --> 00:12:22,180
So if they can get interest, generate
interest from industry that wants

267
00:12:22,180 --> 00:12:26,650
to do deep sea mining in the Ocean,
those companies will start to apply to

268
00:12:26,650 --> 00:12:30,010
this request for information to say,
Hey, this is how we're gonna do it.

269
00:12:30,204 --> 00:12:31,345
This is what we plan on doing.

270
00:12:31,345 --> 00:12:33,925
This is how it's gonna benefit your
country and all this kind of stuff,

271
00:12:33,925 --> 00:12:36,505
and we're gonna minimize the impact
and all that kind of stuff, even

272
00:12:36,505 --> 00:12:38,845
though it hasn't been researched
on how they can minimize it.

273
00:12:38,965 --> 00:12:42,145
There's also a public comment period
where people from the Marion Islands

274
00:12:42,145 --> 00:12:45,324
and all over the US and all over the
world can actually comment and say what

275
00:12:45,324 --> 00:12:46,824
they have to say to say, you know what?

276
00:12:46,824 --> 00:12:47,665
Let's not do this.

277
00:12:47,665 --> 00:12:49,225
'cause we're really worried
about the environment.

278
00:12:49,225 --> 00:12:52,165
We're really worried about our
islands, and we don't know what

279
00:12:52,165 --> 00:12:53,425
the ramifications are gonna be.

280
00:12:53,425 --> 00:12:55,735
So there's been RFIs in two places.

281
00:12:55,735 --> 00:12:57,715
One in the American Samoa that was issued.

282
00:12:57,985 --> 00:13:02,875
Last June in 2025 and one that was
recently issued in November, but the

283
00:13:02,875 --> 00:13:07,135
public comment period extended for 30 days
into halfway through January, which we'll

284
00:13:07,135 --> 00:13:09,265
talk about on the new podcast with Angelo.

285
00:13:09,325 --> 00:13:11,875
Those two places have been
the focus of these areas.

286
00:13:11,875 --> 00:13:14,095
Now, both of these are
in the Pacific Islands.

287
00:13:14,305 --> 00:13:19,345
Both of these, the 200 nautical miles
contains probably about almost 90%

288
00:13:19,405 --> 00:13:23,455
of US waters, and unfortunately,
it's affecting just a small

289
00:13:23,455 --> 00:13:25,195
population that doesn't even have.

290
00:13:25,195 --> 00:13:27,470
The proper representation
in the government.

291
00:13:27,500 --> 00:13:28,970
These are US territories.

292
00:13:29,150 --> 00:13:33,140
They put out information and a lot of
the feedback from the American Samoa,

293
00:13:33,140 --> 00:13:38,240
were looking at a variety of things, so
looking at equality, making sure like

294
00:13:38,240 --> 00:13:39,770
the environment's gonna be protected.

295
00:13:39,770 --> 00:13:42,350
They're not sure about what's
gonna happen to local people from.

296
00:13:42,405 --> 00:13:44,655
An economic point of view,
an environmental point of

297
00:13:44,655 --> 00:13:46,064
view, a safety point of view.

298
00:13:46,155 --> 00:13:49,305
'cause you have to remember when this
mining occurs, there are machines

299
00:13:49,305 --> 00:13:52,574
now at the bottom and they're
sucking up parts of that first layer.

300
00:13:52,665 --> 00:13:54,345
So probably like a little
bit into the layer.

301
00:13:54,345 --> 00:13:55,694
It's not just sucking up nodules.

302
00:13:55,694 --> 00:13:58,125
You're sucking up the sand and
the animals that go into it.

303
00:13:58,214 --> 00:14:01,995
It goes into a pipe that goes all
the way up to the surface of the

304
00:14:01,995 --> 00:14:04,245
boat where it gets processed, right?

305
00:14:04,245 --> 00:14:07,964
So you have this huge thing that goes
into the middle of the water column.

306
00:14:07,964 --> 00:14:09,449
It goes all the way down to the seabed.

307
00:14:09,915 --> 00:14:12,735
And then it just sucks up things
as it goes up like a vacuum.

308
00:14:12,824 --> 00:14:15,314
All that stuff is the noise.

309
00:14:15,495 --> 00:14:18,704
Everything that goes on, maybe spills
or leaks or anything that could

310
00:14:18,704 --> 00:14:21,314
happen could be bad for that area.

311
00:14:21,375 --> 00:14:24,224
The Maryanne is the one that's
just announced in November.

312
00:14:24,435 --> 00:14:27,375
The scary part is it's right near the
Mary and the Trench, which is a national

313
00:14:27,375 --> 00:14:31,785
monument, and that's been a special
place for the CNMI, the Marina Islands.

314
00:14:31,995 --> 00:14:34,604
And so people are worried and
they're concerned about that.

315
00:14:34,604 --> 00:14:36,285
So that public period is still going on.

316
00:14:36,375 --> 00:14:39,584
American Samoa, there was a huge public
outcry to say, Hey, we don't want this.

317
00:14:39,805 --> 00:14:45,115
We're very worried about this, but because
they had enough interest from the industry

318
00:14:45,325 --> 00:14:49,195
that RFI turns into the next step in the
process, which I'm not sure what that is,

319
00:14:49,195 --> 00:14:52,615
but they'll start probably looking at more
environmental assessments and looking at

320
00:14:52,615 --> 00:14:54,025
how it's going to affect the environment.

321
00:14:54,025 --> 00:14:54,415
So it's the next.

322
00:14:54,765 --> 00:14:57,615
Part of issuing leases for everybody.

323
00:14:57,765 --> 00:15:00,705
So that's what's happening,
you know, in the American mode.

324
00:15:00,855 --> 00:15:04,155
Nothing's happening yet, but let's
be honest, once this lease goes

325
00:15:04,155 --> 00:15:07,845
up, they could pretty much start
mining as quickly as possible.

326
00:15:07,905 --> 00:15:11,265
Will the fruits of that mining, the
metals that come up from that mine be

327
00:15:11,265 --> 00:15:13,185
issued and put into processing right away?

328
00:15:13,700 --> 00:15:17,030
Probably not because there's still a
lot of exploration that has to be done.

329
00:15:17,120 --> 00:15:19,670
It's not an efficient process
at this point 'cause it's just,

330
00:15:19,670 --> 00:15:21,200
just pretty much brand new.

331
00:15:21,260 --> 00:15:23,690
And so there's gonna be a lot of stuff
going on probably won't be put in

332
00:15:23,690 --> 00:15:27,050
according to Andrew Thaler into regular
production for another like 50 years.

333
00:15:27,170 --> 00:15:28,760
So, you know, it's something to think.

334
00:15:28,760 --> 00:15:31,280
It's like it's, even though if
we start mining today, still

335
00:15:31,280 --> 00:15:32,510
not gonna be put in 50 years.

336
00:15:32,630 --> 00:15:36,170
But the interesting thing is by that time,
the global market could have shifted.

337
00:15:36,615 --> 00:15:41,115
Batteries like, uh, EVs, electronic
vehicles, batteries that store

338
00:15:41,175 --> 00:15:46,005
electricity, whether it be for your homes
or these massive batteries for cities and

339
00:15:46,005 --> 00:15:48,285
municipalities and regions And so forth.

340
00:15:48,375 --> 00:15:51,945
Those are all evolving
quicker than we can say it.

341
00:15:52,095 --> 00:15:55,185
And there are a lot of these batteries
that are coming in that are planned

342
00:15:55,185 --> 00:15:59,205
or that are being tested that don't
even require these rare earth metals.

343
00:15:59,595 --> 00:16:01,455
So what are we doing here?

344
00:16:01,815 --> 00:16:05,325
Do we really need it that fast
or is it just like a new industry

345
00:16:05,325 --> 00:16:06,285
that wants to get started?

346
00:16:06,285 --> 00:16:10,425
'cause there's a lot of money involved
and it's like here, no evil, see no evil.

347
00:16:10,425 --> 00:16:14,265
If we don't see anything that's below
the Ocean, we don't hear anything bad.

348
00:16:14,355 --> 00:16:15,495
That's really what happens.

349
00:16:15,495 --> 00:16:16,695
They do it with oil and gas.

350
00:16:16,785 --> 00:16:19,635
When they get a big spill and they
want to get rid of the oil, they're

351
00:16:19,635 --> 00:16:21,285
saying, oh, we're cleaning up the oil.

352
00:16:21,285 --> 00:16:24,645
But they're actually just dispersing
the oil so it gets hidden down

353
00:16:24,645 --> 00:16:25,635
to the bottom of the Ocean.

354
00:16:25,695 --> 00:16:29,085
And the chemicals they used to disperse
it are even worse than the actual oil.

355
00:16:29,085 --> 00:16:30,015
It is on the environment.

356
00:16:30,015 --> 00:16:30,855
So like, again.

357
00:16:30,920 --> 00:16:32,599
I ask, what are we doing here?

358
00:16:32,599 --> 00:16:36,260
What are we talking about in terms
of like, is this worth ruining an

359
00:16:36,260 --> 00:16:39,260
environment that we know nothing
about or virtually nothing about?

360
00:16:39,349 --> 00:16:43,370
We do know that the regeneration
of these ecosystems down below take

361
00:16:43,370 --> 00:16:45,380
longer than we initially expected.

362
00:16:45,500 --> 00:16:46,849
More than two years.

363
00:16:46,939 --> 00:16:50,360
Again, is it really worth
the production and the cost?

364
00:16:50,449 --> 00:16:54,500
And the payment is gonna give if
these are not put into play, if these

365
00:16:54,500 --> 00:16:57,710
are just, you know, we don't know
really what to do with them after.

366
00:16:57,710 --> 00:17:00,560
So it's a big problem that we're
going through and the fact that the

367
00:17:00,560 --> 00:17:04,670
US is rushing it without learning
about what's happening with the ISA,

368
00:17:04,700 --> 00:17:08,839
not using their regulations because
they're not a signatory to the UN

369
00:17:08,869 --> 00:17:10,190
Convention of the Law of the Sea.

370
00:17:10,280 --> 00:17:11,359
It's a really scary thought.

371
00:17:11,389 --> 00:17:12,410
Now the question is like.

372
00:17:12,470 --> 00:17:13,850
What can you do about it?

373
00:17:13,910 --> 00:17:16,460
You listening to this or watching
this on YouTube and you're

374
00:17:16,460 --> 00:17:17,480
like, what am I supposed to do?

375
00:17:17,510 --> 00:17:20,000
How am I supposed to play a role in this?

376
00:17:20,000 --> 00:17:21,319
Well, this is the thing.

377
00:17:21,440 --> 00:17:24,620
Pay attention early, follow a lot of
the science communicators that are

378
00:17:24,620 --> 00:17:28,280
trying to get out the word of, you
know, myself, Christopher Cabra, her

379
00:17:28,280 --> 00:17:31,490
husband, Alex Mark Haver, there's a lot
of other people who are doing some really

380
00:17:31,490 --> 00:17:35,000
great things in telling you when these
RFIs come out, where they're at, the

381
00:17:35,000 --> 00:17:36,680
consult and when the decision starts.

382
00:17:36,755 --> 00:17:39,455
By the time the mining is
approved, options are limited.

383
00:17:39,455 --> 00:17:42,215
So the awareness at early
stages actually matter.

384
00:17:42,215 --> 00:17:45,635
So be aware, follow science communicators,
Ocean science communicators who

385
00:17:45,635 --> 00:17:47,075
are trying to protect the Ocean.

386
00:17:47,135 --> 00:17:48,485
Listen to what they say.

387
00:17:48,605 --> 00:17:51,005
Support precautionary,
pause or moratorium.

388
00:17:51,005 --> 00:17:54,455
So many sciences and governments that
support a pause or deep sea mining like

389
00:17:54,455 --> 00:17:58,505
the maranas, they want to pause and well,
they wanted a moratorium on deep sea.

390
00:17:58,505 --> 00:17:58,775
Mike.

391
00:17:58,895 --> 00:18:01,865
This allows time for research,
governance, and alternatives.

392
00:18:02,050 --> 00:18:05,470
Then the pause is not necessarily
anti-technology, it's just pro knowledge.

393
00:18:05,470 --> 00:18:06,880
That's really what it comes down to.

394
00:18:07,090 --> 00:18:09,850
So then the reduced
demand pressure, right?

395
00:18:09,850 --> 00:18:10,840
Support recycling.

396
00:18:10,840 --> 00:18:12,580
Support circular economy solutions.

397
00:18:12,580 --> 00:18:14,410
Ask where materials are coming from.

398
00:18:14,470 --> 00:18:17,170
Push for better product
design and longer lifespans.

399
00:18:17,170 --> 00:18:19,960
Like, you know, we look at our phones,
our phones use these rare earth minerals.

400
00:18:20,050 --> 00:18:22,300
We need to like demand,
not just ask demand.

401
00:18:22,300 --> 00:18:25,180
These companies do better in making
sure that our phones work without

402
00:18:25,240 --> 00:18:26,920
the requirements of these metals.

403
00:18:26,980 --> 00:18:29,110
So amplify the credible reporting.

404
00:18:29,370 --> 00:18:32,220
If you see something that's credible,
you know you're following the right

405
00:18:32,220 --> 00:18:35,940
people, you can amplify that by
reposting, by telling people about it.

406
00:18:35,970 --> 00:18:37,770
Whether it's people within
your family or friend.

407
00:18:37,770 --> 00:18:39,120
Circle your social circle.

408
00:18:39,210 --> 00:18:41,700
Maybe people who are in positions
of where they have a high

409
00:18:41,700 --> 00:18:43,530
influence, that would be the best.

410
00:18:43,530 --> 00:18:47,460
So journalism brings transparency to
opaque processes, so that's always great.

411
00:18:47,520 --> 00:18:51,090
Sharing reliable reporting helps
communities to be heard, and it

412
00:18:51,090 --> 00:18:53,520
creates records that matter later on.

413
00:18:53,520 --> 00:18:55,560
So this is something that's
very, very important.

414
00:18:55,740 --> 00:18:58,020
And then you speak up when
these consultations are open.

415
00:18:58,020 --> 00:19:02,100
So right now the CNMI consultation,
the RFI is open for public comment.

416
00:19:02,100 --> 00:19:04,320
So public comments are part
of the official record.

417
00:19:04,320 --> 00:19:05,280
They stay like that.

418
00:19:05,280 --> 00:19:07,590
They have to be shared
scientists, educators, and

419
00:19:07,590 --> 00:19:09,179
citizens, all of them count.

420
00:19:09,240 --> 00:19:11,879
Silence is pretty much
interpreted as consent.

421
00:19:11,879 --> 00:19:14,820
So don't just lie back and
say, I can't do anything.

422
00:19:14,820 --> 00:19:16,110
I need to do something more.

423
00:19:16,230 --> 00:19:19,409
So basically, you know, the Deep
Sea does not have its own voice.

424
00:19:19,680 --> 00:19:21,210
We have to be those voices.

425
00:19:21,270 --> 00:19:24,840
The community speaking up, people on
social media, speaking up, talking

426
00:19:24,840 --> 00:19:29,310
about what's happening, talking and
helping the people of the American Samoa

427
00:19:29,520 --> 00:19:31,740
people of CNMI in the Marina Islands.

428
00:19:31,860 --> 00:19:35,040
These are people who have to
live with the consequences of

429
00:19:35,040 --> 00:19:37,290
these deep sea mining activities.

430
00:19:37,410 --> 00:19:39,840
Do we really want them to
live with those consequences?

431
00:19:39,840 --> 00:19:40,680
No, we don't.

432
00:19:40,680 --> 00:19:43,560
We want them to make sure that
they can live a great life.

433
00:19:43,580 --> 00:19:45,679
Just like we do here on the mainland.

434
00:19:45,679 --> 00:19:48,530
And so we wanna make sure that
we're supporting the people

435
00:19:48,530 --> 00:19:49,970
out there on those islands.

436
00:19:50,120 --> 00:19:53,629
It's not about necessarily stopping
progress, it's just about making sure that

437
00:19:53,629 --> 00:19:56,929
the decisions that are made are right for
the environment and right for the people.

438
00:19:56,990 --> 00:19:58,669
And I think that's an important aspect.

439
00:19:58,669 --> 00:20:00,860
So that's what I want to focus on today.

440
00:20:00,860 --> 00:20:04,010
If you have any questions or comments,
I'd love to hear from you and just

441
00:20:04,010 --> 00:20:05,419
put it down in the comments below.

442
00:20:05,419 --> 00:20:06,710
If you're watching this on YouTube.

443
00:20:06,770 --> 00:20:10,790
And of course, if you're listening to this
on your favorite audio podcast platform

444
00:20:10,790 --> 00:20:14,420
like Apple, Spotify, Amazon Music, or
whatever you're listening to, whatever it

445
00:20:14,420 --> 00:20:18,379
is, overcast Podcast attic, all the great
podcast apps that are out there that we're

446
00:20:18,379 --> 00:20:20,540
on, feel free to give me some feedback.

447
00:20:20,540 --> 00:20:21,290
I'd love to hear.

448
00:20:21,290 --> 00:20:21,950
They can comment.

449
00:20:21,950 --> 00:20:25,340
Just go to speak up for blue.com/feedback.

450
00:20:25,345 --> 00:20:27,710
That's speak up for blue.com/feedback.

451
00:20:28,025 --> 00:20:31,295
I always love to hear from you,
whether it's a voicemail or typed out.

452
00:20:31,385 --> 00:20:32,705
It's always great to hear from you.

453
00:20:32,705 --> 00:20:35,765
And then don't forget to follow,
subscribe, whatever you can.

454
00:20:35,915 --> 00:20:36,845
It's always helpful too.

455
00:20:36,995 --> 00:20:38,255
So that's it for today's episode.

456
00:20:38,255 --> 00:20:41,495
I want thank you for joining us here
on the How to Protect the OSHA podcast.

457
00:20:41,675 --> 00:20:44,075
I'm your host Angela and from
the True North Strong and free.

458
00:20:44,075 --> 00:20:44,765
Have a great day.

459
00:20:44,945 --> 00:20:47,075
We'll talk to you next
time and happy observation.