Norway Takes Next Step to Mine Seabed Minerals to Dismay of Environmental Groups
The announcement cautions that the awarding of license areas does not automatically mean that exploration can begin. More impact assessments will be needed and ultimately parliamentary approval will be required, says the Ministry.
Norway’s branch of the WWF slammed the decision as “environmentally irresponsible” as it can cause irreversible damage to the entire marine ecological system.
“Norway positioned itself at the forefront of seabed mining initiatives, despite stark warnings from national and international experts and significant criticism from the European Union and global research communities,” the statement said.
Various factions of the EU parliament indeed criticized Norway’s decision and vowed to carefully monitor the development; certainly mostly symbolic rhetoric as Norway is not a member of the EU.
“This marks a significant blow to Norway’s reputation as a responsible steward of the oceans,” said Karoline Andaur, CEO of WWF-Norway.
She also cautioned that once licenses have been auctioned off it will be nearly impossible to stop the eventual exploration in those areas.
“Experience from the petroleum industry indicates that once significant investments are made, halting projects due to environmental concerns becomes nearly impossible,” she highlighted.
This article was originally published by a www.highnorthnews.com
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