Hunt for deep sea minerals draws scrutiny amid green push

By DÁNICA COTO
Associated Press

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Deep sea mining is getting a close look this week as scientists, lawyers and government officials gather in Jamaica to debate the pros and cons of tapping ocean beds for key minerals. It is part of a two-week conference organized by the International Seabed Authority, which is an independent body created by a United Nations treaty. Environmentalists and climate scientists worry ocean mining could spark a rush to collect minerals that take millions of years to form and unleash noise, light and smothering dust storms deep in the Earth’s oceans. Mining companies argue that harvesting minerals from the sea bed instead of land is cheaper and has less of an impact.