What is deep-sea mining?
Deep-sea mining is when people take metals from the bottom of the ocean. These metals are deep under the water.
People use big machines to get the metals from the ocean floor. The machines send the metals up to a ship using pipes.
Norway’s deep-sea mining plans.
This year, Norway said it would allow companies to mine the ocean floor for valuable metals. These metals are used for making phones and other things.
Norway wants to get these metals without depending on other countries like China. But some people are worried that mining could hurt ocean life.
Norway pauses its plan.
Recently, Norway decided to stop its deep-sea mining plans because of worries about the environment and pressure from other political groups.
Many countries and people who care about the environment said that mining could hurt sea animals. Even though the plan is paused, Norway is still studying and making rules for future mining.
Harmful effects of deep-sea mining.
Experts say deep-sea mining could harm ocean life. The metals taken from the ocean floor have been there for a long time, helping the creatures that live there. Taking them away could hurt their homes.
The deep ocean also helps control the Earth's temperature and takes in carbon dioxide, a gas that causes climate change. If we harm this, it could make climate change worse.
The mining machines also make noise and pollution. This can disturb fish and other sea animals, hurting their health and homes.
