Que : Why has deep sea mining attracted attention in recent years? Examine the environmental concerns and risks associated with deep sea mining.

 Deep-sea mining is the process of extracting mineral deposits from the deep seabed. The deep seabed is the seabed at a depth of more than 200 meters and covers about two-thirds of the total seabed. India’s deep-sea missions include ocean research, climate change services, deep sea biodiversity conservation, mineral surveying and ocean energy, etc.

• Why is so much attention being paid to deep sea mining?

• Resource scarcity: Resource scarcity is increasing, which makes it more challenging to obtain rare earth elements and makes the entire process expensive.
• Technological Developments: Improvements in deep-sea exploration and extraction techniques have made it possible to mine previously inaccessible seabed areas.
•  Deep-sea vehicles and remote-controlled robotic technology have increased the ability to explore the seabed.
•  Rare Earth Elements: There is a potential for large quantities of rare earth elements to be found in the deep sea.
•  Rare earth elements play a key role in making batteries for electric vehicles, wind turbines, and cell phones.
•  Energy Transition: The demand for deep-sea mineral resources, such as polymetallic nodules, cobalt, and lithium, which are useful in renewable energy technologies, has increased, and deep-sea mining has become a way to meet this demand.
• Economically: People working in the deep-sea mining sector build infrastructure, creating various jobs in this sector.
• International interest: There is competition between different nations for access to important resources through deep-sea mining.
•  The International Seabed Authority (ISA) has granted India the right to explore the deep sea in the Indian Ocean region.
  
•  Environmental concerns:

•  Disturbance in marine ecosystems: Excavation of the seabed by machines can change the marine ecosystem, as well as destroy deep-sea habitats. Marine animals such as whales, tuna and sharks can be affected by noise, vibration and light.
•  Sediment plumes: Plumes will be formed from fine sediments on the seabed during deep-sea mining.
•  Pollution: Potential leaks and oil spills from mining equipment and surface vessels lead to pollution and the spread of toxic substances into the ocean.

•  Potential impacts on fisheries and food security: Under current vessel designs, waste from mining can spread over a large area. Toxic waste products released during mining can kill large numbers of fish, threatening food security.
•  Potential climate impacts: The ocean is the world’s largest carbon sink, absorbing about 25% of carbon dioxide emissions.

• The way forward:

•  Environmental impact assessment: A comprehensive EIA should be undertaken before launching a deep-sea exploration mission in any area to balance economic needs with environmental impact.
•  Declaration of No-Mining Zones: Sensitive marine ecosystems such as coral reefs, kelp forests, etc. can be declared as “No-Mining Zones”.
•  Technological Development: Responsible agencies should invest in the development of technology required for deep sea exploration, which causes minimal disturbance to the marine ecosystem.
•  Regulatory Measures: Autonomous bodies should be established to take strict measures to monitor and regulate sustainable deep sea exploration missions.
•  International Cooperation: There should be global cooperation on sustainable methods of deep sea exploration.