Deep-sea mining in the Arctic Ocean gets the green light from Norwegian lawmakers

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Norway’s government has made a deal with two large opposition parties to open the Arctic Ocean to seabed mineral exploration, despite warnings by environmental groups that it would threaten biodiversity. In June, Norway said it wanted to open parts of the continental shelf for commercial deep-sea mining in line with its strategy to diversify its economy away from oil and gas. The head of the local chapter of Greenpeace says Norway is now allowing irreversible interventions in areas where nature is completely unknown. According to the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate, there are metals and minerals on the seabed that are crucial for making batteries, wind turbines, PCs and mobile phones.