122,707 of 150,000 signatures

EU Leaders, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Therese Coffey and Judith Slater, High Commissioner to Kingston

Petition

Companies have continuously been digging, dredging and destroying our planet in search of precious metals. Now, they’re leaving no stone unturned and have set their sights on the deep seabed. EU leaders have a chance to prevent irreparable damage before it happens. Together, let’s stop them - tell EU leaders to ban the deep sea mining of our oceans - before it’s too late.

We’re calling on EU leaders to #StopDeepSeaMining by:

  • As members of the International Seabed Authority (ISA), push for ban, moratorium or precautionary pause of deep-sea mining in international waters, setting the example with a ban in European waters/continental shelves
  • Also as members of the ISA, prevent the granting of mining contracts, and ensure mining regulations are not adopted until scientific gaps are filled and risks properly assessed and understood
  • Invest in comprehensive and independent scientific research to to better understand the deep-sea’s unique biodiversity, the seabed’s larger role in our ocean and climate system the risks deep-seabed mining poses to the protection and prosperity of our ocean
  • Explicitly exclude deep-sea mining from the proposed EU Critical Raw Materials Regulation

Why is this important?

Major mining companies are eyeing up our oceans - they want free rein to dig, dredge, and devour the sea floor in search of precious metals. [1]

With key countries like Germany, Spain and France already backing calls for a ban or precautionary pause - we could finally put our oceans ahead of corporate profits! But the mining giants know this. That’s why their lobbyists are bending ears of key players - including the head of the ISA - pushing forward their agenda no matter the cost to our oceans. [2]

In their greedy pursuit of profits, corporations want to destroy marine life and habitats in our oceans - in the middle of a biodiversity emergency. [3] And our politicians are willing to give them the green light - unless we act now.

Marine scientists have warned that deep sea mining will release huge amounts of toxic sediments polluting our underwater ecosystems and compromising the ocean’s carbon pump. Not only this, they’ve also warned the noise and light pollution is particularly harmful to endangered marine life, such as the Blue Whale. [4]

The stakes couldn’t be any higher. If we don’t get a ban on deep sea mining over the line, then deep sea mining could start as early as July this year.

If we want to stand against the tidal force of the mining corporations and their lobbyists - then it’s an all hands on deck moment.

The more of us that join the movement calling for a ban on deep sea mining, the harder it will be for decision makers to cave in and ignore the will of the people.


References:

  1. https://savethehighseas.org/deep-sea-mining/
    https://www.soalliance.org/campaign-against-deep-seabed-mining
  2. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/mar/21/row-erupts-over-deep-sea-mining-as-world-races-to-finalise-vital-regulations
  3. https://ejfoundation.org/what-we-do/ocean/stop-deep-sea-mining
    https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/sep/27/race-to-the-bottom-the-disastrous-blindfolded-rush-to-mine-the-deep-sea k
  4. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/feb/14/deep-sea-mining-noise-poses-harm-blue-whales-scientists-warn
    https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20230214-deep-sea-mining-noise-pollution-threatens-whales-study

Tweet to Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Therese Coffey and Judith Slater, High Commissioner to Kingston

Due to a complicated method for weighting votes at the International Seabed Authority meetings, Secretary of State for Environment Theresa Coffey and her representatives sit in a powerful group. Last week, Labour pledged to stand against deep sea mining, significantly raising the political pressure for the UK government.

So that’s why WeMove supporters in the UK are launching a massive tweetstorm. If you want to see Theresa Coffey protect all life forms in the deep and stop our ocean floor from being trashed, send her a tweet now:

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Here’s a few ideas you could use in your email:

  • IMPACT ON MARINE LIFE: Mention how concerned you are about deep sea mining’s impact on marine life and the rich ecosystems at the depths of the sea. While the vast range of life has yet to be discovered, we do know that large machines digging and dredging up the seafloor will destroy their habitat, and harm them through noise and light pollution, and by releasing toxic sediment.
  • IMPACT ON CLIMATE: Explain that the deep ocean is crucial to mitigating the climate crisis, and how as a voter, this is top of your priority list. Discuss how the deep sea is one of our biggest allies in the fight against climate breakdown, as it acts as a massive carbon sink, by sequestering greenhouse gases which are responsible for the warming of our planet. Bulldozing into the sea will release massive amounts of carbon.
  • ASK FOR A MEETING: Ask them if they would like to meet with you to discuss your concerns about the threat of deep sea mining, as part of a meeting organised by WeMove Europe and

Some tips to help you along the way:

  • BE PERSONAL: Ministers are much more likely to respond to a friendly message from a concerned constituent.
  • KEEP IT POLITE: Talk about why this topic — whether is the oceans, marine life or climate — is personally important to you. Decision-makers are human beings too! We know that personal messages are a good way to get through to them.
  • ASK FOR A COMMITMENT: Ask for the Minister to advocate for a ban of deep sea mining at the upcoming International Seabed Authority meeting.
  • ASK FOR A RESPONSE: It’s always worth making clear that you’d like them to consider your message and respond.
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Please can you chip in?

Thanks for taking a stand to protect deep sea marine life and habitats by calling to stop toxic deep sea mining.

Together, we’ve run campaigns that have helped to protect oceans and the deep sea creatures who call it home - like banning ocean bottom trawling in EU marine protected areas starting in 2030.

By staying in the important fights over the long-term, we’re able to move Europe forward on protecting our oceans. That’s exactly what we’re going to keep doing.

Will you chip in to secure the resources we need to power more wins like this?

Donate now and consider making a recurring contribution to help WeMove Europe’s work all year!

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