A (Successful!) Vote to Ban Deep-Sea Mining and Protect Marine Life

The French Parliament has voted in favor of banning the controversial practice of deep-sea mining in its waters.

“What an accomplishment after several months of work with NGOs and MPs from different political persuasions, to finally see our resolution against seabed mining adopted in the Chamber,” tweets Nicholas Thierry, the Green Member of Parliament who tabled the motion.

The practice of deep-sea mining involves heavy machinery that sucks up small rocks containing rare metals. For proponents of the practice, these metals can be extracted and used to manufacture batteries for cars, among other types. Critics of the practice, however, assert that deep-sea mining can devastate fragile marine ecosystems. It also brings about the unintended consequence of extracting vast amounts of CO2 that are stored at these depths. The vote against deep-sea mining was won with an absolute majority.