Experts disagree with the claim of mining companies that electric car batteries are necessary.
Sea Scraping
Numerous companies have begun to explore plans for mining the seafloor. This would require large machines that scrape nodules of metals from the bottom of oceans.
The Guardian reports that the problem with mining the ocean's bottom is that it would undoubtedly destroy any local ecosystems and habitats. Many of these areas have not been explored by scientists. This creates a problem that involves exploration and conservation, as well as processes that would allow developers to meet the growing demand of electric cars.
The technology we now have to explore the ocean is more than it was in the past 10,000 years, Oliver Steeds (founder of deep-sea research foundation Nekton) told The Guardian. He said that mining tech represents an incredible opportunity for advancement, but also a threat through deep-sea mine development or overfishing.
Dystopian Choice
One of the companies that plans to mine the seafloor is The Metals Company. According to the company, its practices would be required to obtain the metals needed for electric car batteries. They also claim that it would have a smaller planetary impact than mining from other sources.
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Experts and electric car manufacturers have refuted that narrative. They claim that The Metals Company, and other companies, are ignoring all the ways in which mining the seafloor might cause damage to the planet.
Matthew Gianni, cofounder of Deep Sea Conservation Coalition, stated that DeepGreen offers a false or dystopian option to The Guardian.
Deep Impact
It is exciting to think about the potential for widespread adoption of electric vehicles by securing the resources needed to make better and more efficient batteries. Scientists told The Guardian that extracting those metals from the ocean floor, especially with machines that have a poor understanding of environmental impacts in an area that is difficult to monitor and control, would be too costly.
Douglas McCauley, a University of California Santa Barbara researcher, said that scientists are asking some serious questions about the effects of ocean mining. What amount of extinction could it cause? How long will these systems with low resilience take to recover? How will this affect the ocean's ability to capture carbon?
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READ MORE: False Choice: Is deep-sea Mining required to create an electric vehicle revolution in the 21st century? [The Guardian]
More about ocean mining: This plan to mine the ocean floor may destroy whole ecosystems
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