Explore the recording of a UiB and Academia Europaea Bergen Knowledge Hub organized Side Event at this year’s Arctic Frontiers Conference – “Race to the (seabed) bottom – realities and sustainability dilemmas in the demand for minerals”.
Vast quantities of metal-rich mineral deposits have been found in deep sea areas including deep sea regions of the Arctic and sub-Arctic. While the International Seabed Authority (ISA) has granted exploration licenses in various locations, in particular in the Pacific Ocean, several countries are planning to initiate exploration within their own jurisdiction. Norway being one of them.
The green transition generates a need for critical minerals, expected to be greater than the supply from existing land-based mining industry and recycling. Norway is in a position to become a leader in the exploration for deep-sea minerals. The race has started, and this event will address both challenges, opportunities, and dilemmas.
Does the Green Shift really need deep-sea minerals? Do deep-sea minerals have a potential for creating new industries? Is the technology advanced enough? Do we have the knowledge base needed to safely explore these resources without irreversible damage to surrounding ecosystems? How is Norway preparing for its 1st licensing round for deep-sea minerals, and how will this influence the arctic regions? Is the Norwegian Act on Mineral Activities on the Continental Shelf (Seabed Minerals Act) a sufficient regulatory framework? And finally; can deep-sea mineral extraction be sustainable enough to be justified?
Target audience: Industry professionals, environmental groups, policymakers, the geoscience community, and other stakeholders.
Regrettably, the sound quality is varying on this recording.
List of speakers:
- Chair: Eystein Jansen (Scientific director of AE-Bergen Knowledge Hub, University of Bergen)
- Andrew Bloodworth (Policy director, BGS – British Geological Survey Keyworth)
- Walter Sognnes (CEO of Loke Minerals, Stavanger Norway)
- Kaja Fjærtoft (Senior Advisor , Sustainable Oceans in WWF-Norway)
- Pedro A. Ribeiro (Dr., UiB – University of Bergen)
- Anita Parlow (MSt., Formerly Harvard-MIT Arctic Fisheries, Wilson Center Team Lead Polar Code Initiative, Fulbright Scholar-Iceland, United States)