We are living through strange and turbulent times. Amid the current geopolitical upheaval, we cannot lose sight of the battle to protect the ocean from deep-sea mining. 

Those that want to begin deep-sea mining see the political turmoil as an opportunity to open our global ocean to this reckless industry. 

In a new documentary,* the CEO of The Metals Company, Gerard Barron, shamelessly suggests that given the new US administration’s America First policy and their disdain for the United Nations, he can ignore international agreements to regulate deep-sea mining by going straight to the US. Barron is openly threatening to undermine the rules-based order and multilateralism. 

This is a terrifying prospect not just for the ocean but for all of us. I cannot stress it enough. By opening the High Seas to extraction by one country we trigger a race to the bottom of the ocean by all countries. Remember the High Seas make up half our planet and belong to no single country, making them extremely vulnerable to exploitation. They are the common heritage of humankind. The health of the High Seas is critical to our own. 

With global peace and stability increasingly in jeopardy, now more than ever the international community must agree to a moratorium on deep-sea mining.   

Keep this campaign alive. Use your voice! Share this petition, and if you can, please support our efforts. 

DO NOT CLICK ON ‘TAKE THE NEXT STEP!’ BELOW TO DONATE, THAT MONEY WILL NOT BE USED FOR THIS CAMPAIGN. CLICK HERE TO STOP DEEP-SEA MINING. 

Thank you! - Farah Obaidullah, Ocean Advocate, Founder of The Ocean and Us, Women4Oceans and editor of the book The Ocean and Us

*minute 39.56 of the documentary

Image: Schmidt Ocean Institute