Dear Prime Minister Støre,

We write to you as the undersigned civil society organisations to raise the importance of preserving the deep ocean from the threat of deep sea mining, in light of Norway’s alarming proposal to open up large areas of the Norwegian extended continental shelf in the high Arctic to deep sea mining.

The deep sea supports the multiple ecosystem processes necessary for Earth’s natural systems to function, including the absorption and storage of vast quantities of the carbon emitted into the air by human activities. Scientists believe that as many as 10 million species may inhabit the deep sea, the majority of which are yet to be discovered. The high Arctic is an environment of international significance, and is home to important marine species.

Contrary to the argumentation of deep sea mining companies, mining the seabed is not needed ...

Prime Minister Støre, your co-chair of the Ocean Panel, Palau, and a growing number of governments including from European countries like France, Germany and Spain have taken a precautionary position, advocating a precautionary pause, a moratorium or a ban on deep sea mining. Scientists, Indigenous groups, fisheries and seafood organisations, civil society organisations, and major businesses including Storebrand, BMW, and Google are all calling for a stop to deep sea mining. The European Investment Bank has excluded deep sea mining from its investments as it is deemed ‘unacceptable in climate and environmental terms’, and the European Parliament has called for a moratorium multiple times.

It is not too late to live up to the responsibilities as co-chair of the Ocean Panel and to establish Norway as a leading country in the increasing opposition to deep sea mining. We urge you to step back from the brink of introducing this destructive industry and to support a global moratorium on deep sea mining. Unless the Norwegian government stops the opening process, we believe Norway should resign from the Ocean Panel.

Yours sincerely