Oceanographer Sylvia Earle on the Dangers of Deep-Sea Mining

Deep-sea mining could put the entire ocean and the planet at risk — iconic oceanographer Sylvia Earle explains why.

Deep-sea mining is the process of extracting minerals like manganese, copper, and nickel from depths of over 200 meters. The big appeal behind it is that we need these minerals to develop sustainable technology that'll help us mitigate the climate crisis.

Because these materials are becoming harder to find on land, companies want to continue their harvesting under the ocean. But deep-sea mining would destroy ecosystems — some of which haven't been named or even discovered.

Oceanographer Sylvia Earle, who's explored the ocean for most of her life, says deep-sea mining is an extremely invasive process that would lead to exploitation, contamination, and even extinction.

'The more we disrupt it, the more we're putting ourselves at risk,' explains Earle.