Scientists detected 5,000 sea creatures nobody knew existed. It’s a warning.
Washington PostMay 25, 2023
Scientists have discovered more than 5K new species living in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone in the Pacific Ocean [between Hawaii, Kiribati, and Mexico] — a mineral-rich region of the Pacific Ocean earmarked for deep-sea mining.
In a peer-reviewed study published in the journal Current Biology on Thursday, researchers shared the first comprehensive checklist of “benthic metazoans,” or seabed animals in the Zone.
Deep-sea mining presents significant risks to ocean ecosystems already vulnerable due to other human-caused disruptions, such as climate change. If the exploration goes as planned, it's likely to cause long-lasting and irreversible damage to a vibrant, unique, and largely unexplored ecosystem.
While we are responsible for understanding and protecting our planet's incredible biodiversity, investing in exploiting minerals buried in the Pacific to provide an alternative energy source is also essential. Instead of pausing deep-sea mining, it's necessary to work with mining companies to ensure the exploration in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone is done sustainably, limiting its impact on seabed animals.
There's a 19% chance that there will there be a successful seasteading venture with at least 100 participants before 2035, according to the Metaculus prediction community.