Thousands of metres beneath the surface, vast fields of polymetallic nodules, rich in nickel, cobalt, manganese and copper, lie scattered across the seabed. These minerals are critical to batteries, renewable energy systems and the technologies driving the global energy transition. For some governments and companies, deep-sea mining represents a strategic and financial opportunity: a way to secure supply chains and reduce dependence on terrestrial mining.
But the abyssal plains are also one of the least understood ecosystems on Earth. Scientists warn that mining operations could disturb habitats that have taken millions of years to form, with unknown consequences for deep-sea biodiversity and the ocean’s wider ecological systems. Recovery, they argue, could take centuries, if it happens at all. At the same time, regulators and governments are racing to establish rules that would allow commercial extraction to begin.
Bringing together leading voices from science, industry, policy and environmental law, we will uncover who and what should decide whether the seabed is mined, what we know about the ecological risks, and what remains uncertain. Our panel will explore the geopolitical stakes, the scientific evidence, and the governance challenges surrounding deep-sea mining.
As the world faces the choice between exploiting a new resource frontier and protecting one of the planet’s last largely untouched ecosystems, we will examine if deep-sea mining is really necessary to support the global shift to clean energy and if alternative technologies could offer viable and more sustainable solutions.
This event is in collaboration with Pranvera Shema Smith, founder of On Front Line.
Luke McMillan is an environmental journalist whose work has appeared in The Guardian, BBC Wildlife and Oceanographic. He is the founder of Ocean Rising, an independent outlet established as a rigorous, agenda-free source for ocean accountability journalism, and serves as Head of Hunting and Captivity at Whale and Dolphin Conservation.
Louisa Casson leads Greenpeace’s flagship global campaigns, and is currently leading Greenpeace’s work to stop deep sea mining from starting. She spearheaded Greenpeace’s global strategy to win political support for a landmark high seas treaty and the commitment to protect at least 30% of the ocean by 2030, and has led Greenpeace campaigns that secured industry agreements to protect Antarctic waters from fishing pressures. She has led expeditions on Greenpeace ships across the Atlantic, in the Pacific and to the Antarctic Ocean, working with scientists and activists to bear witness to environmental pressures. With a background in climate activism, Louisa led advocacy coalitions at E3G to influence European climate ambition and diplomacy ahead of the Paris Agreement, and subsequently worked as a policy advisor on climate & energy in Parliament.
Oliver Steeds OBE is Founder and Chief Executive of Nekton — whose mission is to explore and protect the ocean — and serving Director of Ocean Census, the UN Ocean Decade Programme to accelerate the discovery of ocean life. Over the past decade, Nekton and Ocean Census have conducted 50 expeditions with scientists from 650 marine institutes and 100 partners worldwide, discovering 2,000+ new species and helping protect an area of ocean twice the size of Germany. Oliver also co-founded Ocean Rising with the Schmidt Ocean Institute, connecting the ocean with culture through the arts, fashion, sport, music, theatre, and film. Prior to founding Nekton, Oliver was a broadcast and investigative journalist for Channel 4, ABC, NBC, Al Jazeera, and the Discovery Channels.
Jeevan Vasagar, Climate Editor of The Observer and the author of The Surge: The Race Against the Most Destructive Force in Nature.
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