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DoomsdaysCW<p><a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Kerala" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Kerala</span></a> fishermen up in arms against <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/DeepSeaMining" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>DeepSeaMining</span></a> proposal off <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Kollam" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Kollam</span></a> coast</p><p>March 22, 2025</p><p>"The fishermen in Kerala have already launched several protests against the proposed plan to open up the sea to private mining companies as part of the Union Government’s ‘Blue Economy’ initiative.</p><p>"All the fishermen’s associations stand united in their protests against this proposal, alleging that it would bring an end to the fisheries sector in the country, not only in the <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/ArabianSea" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>ArabianSea</span></a> but also in the <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/BayOfBengal" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>BayOfBengal</span></a>.</p><p>“ 'The mining, according to the scientific report we have, can disturb the seabed and completely destroy fish spawning habitats. It can also release poisonous gases trapped on the <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/DeepSeaFloor" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>DeepSeaFloor</span></a>, causing severe <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/environmental" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>environmental</span></a> issues,' Kerala Minister for Fisheries, Saji Cherian, told PTI.</p><p>"He said that deep-sea mining requires huge investments and heavy machinery, meaning only <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/multinational" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>multinational</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/corporations" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>corporations</span></a> will be involved, making these areas completely inaccessible to poor fishermen.</p><p>"The Kerala government, which is strongly opposing this project, passed a resolution in the Assembly urging the Centre to withdraw it.</p><p>"The Minister said the proposed site, off the Kollam shore in Kerala in the Arabian Sea, is very rich in marine resources and serves as a lifeline for fishermen from Kerala and other states.</p><p>“ 'We have a highly diverse and extensive fish population in this area. The mining will completely wipe out this habitat, severely affecting the livelihood of fishermen in our region,' Saji Cherian said."</p><p>Read more:<br><a href="https://www.msn.com/en-in/money/economy/kerala-fishermen-up-in-arms-against-deep-sea-mining-proposal-off-kollam-coast/ar-AA1Brtp9" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://www.</span><span class="ellipsis">msn.com/en-in/money/economy/ke</span><span class="invisible">rala-fishermen-up-in-arms-against-deep-sea-mining-proposal-off-kollam-coast/ar-AA1Brtp9</span></a></p><p><a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/NoJobsOnADeadPlanet" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>NoJobsOnADeadPlanet</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/OceansAreLife" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>OceansAreLife</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/MarineLife" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>MarineLife</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/DeepSeaMining" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>DeepSeaMining</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/NoDeepSeaMining" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>NoDeepSeaMining</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/DarkOxygen" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>DarkOxygen</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/LifeOnEarth" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>LifeOnEarth</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Extinction" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Extinction</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Nodules" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Nodules</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Greenwashing" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Greenwashing</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/CorporateColonialism" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>CorporateColonialism</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/CorporatePolluters" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>CorporatePolluters</span></a> <br><a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/BatteryAlternatives" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>BatteryAlternatives</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/NoCobaltMining" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>NoCobaltMining</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/RecycleCopper" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>RecycleCopper</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/RecycleCobalt" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>RecycleCobalt</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/RecycleZinc" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>RecycleZinc</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Recycle" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Recycle</span></a>! <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Ecocide" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Ecocide</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/PlanetDestroyers" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>PlanetDestroyers</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/HumanGreed" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>HumanGreed</span></a></p>
DoomsdaysCW<p><a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/NPR" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>NPR</span></a>: The U.S. takes a step toward allowing <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/mining" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>mining</span></a> on the ocean floor, a fragile <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/ecosystem" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>ecosystem</span></a></p><p>by Julia Simon, April 25, 2025</p><p>"President <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Trump" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Trump</span></a> signed an executive order Thursday aimed at making it easier for companies to mine the deep seafloor, saying it would create 'a robust domestic supply for critical minerals.'</p><p>"There is currently no commercial-scale deep-sea mining anywhere in the world. But companies have long eyed the ocean floor as a potential source of metals like nickel, cobalt, manganese and copper, which are used in batteries for electric vehicles and other technologies.</p><p>"The world has no rulebook for deep-sea mining. One company is pushing forward anyway</p><p>"These metals can be found in potato-sized nodules lying on the ocean floor. Many of the nodules are in the middle of the Pacific ocean, beyond the legal territory of individual countries.</p><p>"Thursday's order might circumvent ongoing international negotiations to regulate deep-sea mining.</p><p>"Those regions have traditionally been overseen by an international organization, the <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/InternationalSeabedAuthority" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>InternationalSeabedAuthority</span></a> (<a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/ISA" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>ISA</span></a>). The ISA has hosted talks for years to try to hammer out a rulebook to govern a potential seabed mining industry. The U.S. did not ratify the treaty that governs the seabed, and is not a voting member of the ISA, though in the past under previous administrations it has respected the ISA process.</p><p>"In his executive order, Trump instructed federal agencies to expedite the process for reviewing and issuing permits for mining on the seafloor in both U.S. and international territory. It will use a U.S. law from 1980, the "<a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/DeepSeabed" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>DeepSeabed</span></a> Hard Mineral Resources Act."</p><p>"Scientists and environmental groups condemned the order, arguing that opening the deep seabed for mining could disrupt important marine ecosystems, and damage the fishing industry.</p><p>" 'This is being planned on some of the least resilient <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/ecosystems" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>ecosystems</span></a> on the planet,' says Douglas McCauley, professor of ocean science at the University of California Santa Barbara. 'It would have <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/catastrophic" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>catastrophic</span></a> biological consequences.'</p><p>"Underwater mining can create plumes of sediment that could suffocate marine life, and degrade the <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/FoodWebs" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>FoodWebs</span></a> that fish depend on, McCauley says.</p><p>"There are also important questions about whether we actually need to be mining the seabed to get enough of these minerals for technologies like batteries, says Micah Ziegler, assistant professor of energy and chemical systems at Georgia Institute of Technology.</p><p>"While a couple of years ago researchers were concerned about the limitations of land-based mining for metals like cobalt and nickel, a variety of alternative <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/battery" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>battery</span></a> chemistries have been developed that might reduce the need for those elements, Ziegler says."</p><p>Read more:<br><a href="https://www.npr.org/2025/04/25/nx-s1-5376482/trump-seabed-mining-executive-order" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://www.</span><span class="ellipsis">npr.org/2025/04/25/nx-s1-53764</span><span class="invisible">82/trump-seabed-mining-executive-order</span></a></p><p><a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/OceansAreLife" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>OceansAreLife</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/MarineLife" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>MarineLife</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/DeepSeaMining" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>DeepSeaMining</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/NoDeepSeaMining" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>NoDeepSeaMining</span></a><br><a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/DarkOxygen" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>DarkOxygen</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/LifeOnEarth" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>LifeOnEarth</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Extinction" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Extinction</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Nodules" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Nodules</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Greenwashing" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Greenwashing</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/CorporateColonialism" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>CorporateColonialism</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/CorporatePolluters" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>CorporatePolluters</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/TrumpSucks" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>TrumpSucks</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Idiocracy" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Idiocracy</span></a> <br><a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/BatteryAlternatives" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>BatteryAlternatives</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/NoCobaltMining" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>NoCobaltMining</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/RecycleCopper" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>RecycleCopper</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/RecycleCobalt" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>RecycleCobalt</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/RecycleZinc" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>RecycleZinc</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Recycle" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Recycle</span></a>! <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Ecocide" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Ecocide</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/PlanetDestroyers" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>PlanetDestroyers</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/HumanGreed" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>HumanGreed</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/NoJobsOnADeadPlanet" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>NoJobsOnADeadPlanet</span></a></p>
DoomsdaysCW<p>As <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Norway" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Norway</span></a> Considers <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/DeepSeaMining" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>DeepSeaMining</span></a>, a Rich History of Ocean Conservation Decisions May Inform How the Country Acts</p><p>In the past, scientists, industry and government have worked together in surprising, tense and fruitful ways</p><p>by Christian Elliott, April 21, 2025</p><p>"At the <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Arctic" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Arctic</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/MidOceanRidge" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>MidOceanRidge</span></a> off the Norwegian coast, molten rock rises from deep within the Earth between spreading tectonic plates. Black smoker vents sustain unique ecosystems in the dark. Endemic species of long, segmented bristle worms and tiny crustaceans graze on bacteria mats and flit among fields of chemosynthetic tube worms, growing thick as grass. Dense banks of sponges cling to the summits and slopes of underwater mountains. And among all this life, minerals build up slowly over millennia in the form of <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/sulfide" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>sulfide</span></a> deposits and <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/manganese" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>manganese</span></a> crusts.</p><p>"Those minerals are the kind needed to fuel the global green energy transition—<a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/copper" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>copper</span></a>, <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/zinc" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>zinc</span></a> and <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/cobalt" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>cobalt</span></a>. In January 2024, Norway surprised the world with the announcement it planned to open its waters for exploratory deep-sea mining, the first nation to do so. If all went to plan, companies would be issued licenses to begin identifying mineral deposits as soon as <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Spring2025" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Spring2025</span></a>. To some scientists who’d spent decades mapping and studying the geology and ecology of the Norwegian seabed and Arctic Mid-Ocean Ridge, the decision seemed premature—they still lacked critical data on the area targeted for mining. The government’s own Institute of Marine Research (IMR) accused it of extrapolating from a small area where data has already been collected to the much larger zone now targeted</p><p>“ 'Our advice has been we don’t have enough knowledge,' says Rebecca Ross, an <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/ecologist" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>ecologist</span></a> at IMR who works on Norway’s <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Mareano" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Mareano</span></a> deep-sea mapping initiative. She says the decision was based solely on the <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/geology" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>geology</span></a> of the area. Taking high-resolution scans of the seabed and sampling its geology is the first step when research ships enter a new area, but critical biological and ecological research is more difficult and tends to come later—which is the case on the ridge area targeted for mining. Ross says it’s certain that area contains vulnerable marine ecosystems that would be affected by the light and noise pollution and sediment plumes generated by mining. The IMR estimates closing the knowledge gap on the target area could take ten years.</p><p>"The same conflict, with a partial scientific understanding misinterpreted and used to justify resource extraction, is playing out in the <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Pacific" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Pacific</span></a>, where mining pilot projects are already underway in international waters. Years before, scientists funded by industry scouted the <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/seabed" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>seabed</span></a> there, discovering both valuable minerals and new forms of life."</p><p>Read more:<br><a href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/as-norway-considers-deep-sea-mining-a-rich-history-of-ocean-conservation-decisions-may-inform-how-the-country-acts-180986412/?utm_source=firefox-newtab-en-us" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://www.</span><span class="ellipsis">smithsonianmag.com/science-nat</span><span class="invisible">ure/as-norway-considers-deep-sea-mining-a-rich-history-of-ocean-conservation-decisions-may-inform-how-the-country-acts-180986412/?utm_source=firefox-newtab-en-us</span></a></p><p><a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/LeaveItInTheOcean" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>LeaveItInTheOcean</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/DeepSeaMining" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>DeepSeaMining</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/NoDeepSeaMining" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>NoDeepSeaMining</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/RecycleCopper" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>RecycleCopper</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/LifeOnEarth" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>LifeOnEarth</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Ecocide" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Ecocide</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/PlanetDestroyers" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>PlanetDestroyers</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/HumanGreed" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>HumanGreed</span></a></p>
DoomsdaysCW<p><a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Oxygen" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Oxygen</span></a> produced in the <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/DeepSea" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>DeepSea</span></a> raises questions about extraterrestrial life</p><p>"Over 12,000 feet below the surface of the sea, in a region of the Pacific Ocean known as the Clarion-Clipperton Zone (<a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/CCZ" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>CCZ</span></a>), million-year-old rocks cover the seafloor. These rocks may seem lifeless, but nestled between the nooks and crannies on their surfaces, tiny sea creatures and microbes make their home, many uniquely adapted to life in the dark.</p><p>"These deep-sea rocks, called polymetallic <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/nodules" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>nodules</span></a>, don't only host a surprising number of sea critters. A team of scientists that includes Boston University experts has discovered they also produce oxygen on the seafloor.</p><p>"The discovery is a surprise considering oxygen is typically created by plants and organisms with help from the sun -- not by rocks on the ocean floor. About half of all the oxygen we breathe is made near the surface of the ocean by phytoplankton that photosynthesize just like land-dwelling plants. Since the sun is needed to carry out photosynthesis, finding oxygen production at the bottom of the sea, where there is no light, flips conventional wisdom on its head. It was so unexpected that scientists involved in the study first thought it was a mistake.</p><p>"This was really weird, because no one had ever seen it before," says Jeffrey Marlow, a BU College of Arts &amp; Sciences assistant professor of biology and coauthor on the study, which was published in Nature Geoscience.</p><p>As an expert in microbes that live in the most extreme habitats on Earth -- like hardened lava and deep-sea hydrothermal vents -- Marlow initially suspected that microbial activity could be responsible for making oxygen. The research team used deep-sea chambers that land on the seafloor and enclose the seawater, sediment, polymetallic nodules, and living organisms. They then measured how oxygen levels changed in the chambers over 48 hours. If there are plentiful organisms breathing oxygen, then the levels would normally decline, depending on how much animal activity is present in the chamber. But in this case, oxygen was increasing.</p><p>" 'We did a lot of troubleshooting and found that the oxygen levels increased many more times following that initial measurement,' Marlow says. 'So we're now convinced it's a real signal.'</p><p>"He and his colleagues were aboard a research vessel tasked with learning more about the ecology of the CCZ, which spans 1.7 million square miles between <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Hawaii" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Hawaii</span></a> and <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Mexico" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Mexico</span></a>, for an environmental survey sponsored by The Metals Company, a deep-sea mining firm interested in extracting the rocks en masse for metals. After running experiments on board the vessel, Marlow and the team, led by Andrew Sweetman at the Scottish Association for Marine Science, concluded the phenomenon isn't primarily caused by microbial activity, despite the abundance of many different types of microbes both on and inside the rocks.</p><p>"<a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/PolymetallicNodules" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>PolymetallicNodules</span></a> are made of rare metals, including <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/copper" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>copper</span></a>, nickel, cobalt, iron, and manganese, which is why companies are interested in mining them. It turns out, according to the study, that those densely packed metals are likely triggering "seawater electrolysis." This means that metal ions in the rock layers are distributed unevenly, creating a separation of electrical charges -- just like what happens inside of a battery. This phenomenon creates enough energy to split water molecules into oxygen and hydrogen. They named this "dark oxygen," since it's oxygen made with no sunlight. What remains unclear is the exact mechanism of how this happens, if oxygen levels vary across the CCZ, and if the oxygen plays a significant role in sustaining the local ecosystem."</p><p><a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/08/240826182909.htm" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://www.</span><span class="ellipsis">sciencedaily.com/releases/2024</span><span class="invisible">/08/240826182909.htm</span></a></p><p><a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/LeaveItInTheOcean" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>LeaveItInTheOcean</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/DeepSeaMining" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>DeepSeaMining</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/NoDeepSeaMining" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>NoDeepSeaMining</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/RecycleCopper" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>RecycleCopper</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/LifeOnEarth" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>LifeOnEarth</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Ecocide" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Ecocide</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/PlanetDestroyers" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>PlanetDestroyers</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/HumanGreed" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>HumanGreed</span></a></p>
Susi Arnott<p><span class="h-card" translate="no"><a href="https://aus.social/@firstdogonthemoon" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@<span>firstdogonthemoon</span></a></span> - Love today's anxious yet joyful 'toon<br>Thanks as ever for all you do <br><a href="https://mastodon.green/tags/LifeOnEarth" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>LifeOnEarth</span></a></p>
Grant<p>Amazing..</p><p><a href="https://mstdn.social/tags/BBC" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>BBC</span></a> <a href="https://mstdn.social/tags/BBC" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>BBC</span></a>-Science <a href="https://mstdn.social/tags/Science" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Science</span></a> <a href="https://mstdn.social/tags/LifeOnEarth" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>LifeOnEarth</span></a><br><a href="https://www.sciencefocus.com/space/what-bennu-tells-us-about-alien-life" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://www.</span><span class="ellipsis">sciencefocus.com/space/what-be</span><span class="invisible">nnu-tells-us-about-alien-life</span></a></p>
Radical Anthropology<p><a href="https://c.im/tags/Luca" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Luca</span></a> -- last universal common ancestor, the progenitor of all known life on Earth...'born 4.2bn years ago. Back then our planet was no Eden but something of a hell on Earth: a seething mass of volcanoes pummelled by giant meteorites, and having recovered from a cosmic collision that blasted the world apart and created the moon from some of the fragments.'</p><p>We wouldn't be here without that <a href="https://c.im/tags/moon" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>moon</span></a></p><p><a href="https://c.im/tags/lifeonearth" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>lifeonearth</span></a></p><p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/science/2025/jan/19/luca-is-the-progenitor-of-all-life-on-earth-but-its-genesis-has-implications-far-beyond-our-planet" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://www.</span><span class="ellipsis">theguardian.com/science/2025/j</span><span class="invisible">an/19/luca-is-the-progenitor-of-all-life-on-earth-but-its-genesis-has-implications-far-beyond-our-planet</span></a></p>
Susi Arnott<p>Around 10cm in length; some individuals, then this clutch of -salps(?) Some sort of tunicate, for sure... around 100m off S Cornish coast Sept 24th <a href="https://mastodon.green/tags/snorkellingbypublictransport" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>snorkellingbypublictransport</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.green/tags/lifeonEarth" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>lifeonEarth</span></a></p>
DoomsdaysCW<p>If Earth loses its sources of oxygen, that won't be a very green transition. smh</p><p><a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/DeepSeaMining" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>DeepSeaMining</span></a> opponents suffer major setback</p><p>by Amélie BOTTOLLIER-DEPOIS <br>August 3, 2024 </p><p>"Opponents of deep sea mining suffered a serious setback Friday when they failed to take a first step toward an international moratorium on the controversial practice.</p><p>"Until now, those in favor of such mining—which would deliver minerals key to the green transition but with a potentially high environmental cost—have managed to prevent the <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/InternationalSeabedAuthority" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>InternationalSeabedAuthority</span></a> (<a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/ISA" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>ISA</span></a>) from even taking up any debate on the subject.</p><p>"This time, the debate took place, but a draft calling for a 'dialogue' toward 'the development of a general policy... for the protection and preservation of the marine environment' did not advance after a week of talks in Kingston, Jamaica.</p><p>"Numerous delegations, from <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/China" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>China</span></a> to <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/SaudiArabia" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>SaudiArabia</span></a> to the <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Africa" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Africa</span></a> group of member states, said the draft lacked clarity and that the ISA's full assembly of 168 members was not the forum to make any decision on the protection of <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/marine" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>marine</span></a> habitats.</p><p>"Instead, those countries said the Council, made up of 36 states, should decide.</p><p>"Faced with consistent opposition, <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Chile" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Chile</span></a> withdrew the draft measure as the assembly's annual session—which makes decisions by consensus—drew to a close.</p><p>"'We are somewhat disappointed,' said Chilean representative Salvador Vega Telias. Though he believed he had support from a majority of states, he opted to shelve the discussions until July 2025—a proposal that was not approved either.</p><p>"Deep sea mining in international waters involves scraping the ocean floor for <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/minerals" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>minerals</span></a> like <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/nickel" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>nickel</span></a>, <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/cobalt" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>cobalt</span></a> and <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/copper" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>copper</span></a>, crucial for <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/RenewableEnergy" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>RenewableEnergy</span></a> energy technology.</p><p>"Under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (<a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/UNCLOS" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>UNCLOS</span></a>), the ISA is responsible for both protecting the seabed in areas beyond national jurisdictions and for overseeing any exploration or exploitation of resources in those zones.</p><p>"Deep sea mining has not yet taken place beyond the experimental and exploratory stage.</p><p>"The ISA's Council, which for now only grants exploration contracts, has been drawing up commercial exploitation rules for more than a decade. They are aiming to adopt a mining code in 2025.</p><p>"Non-governmental organizations and scientists warn that deep sea mining could damage <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/habitats" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>habitats</span></a> and harm species that are little understood, but are potentially important to the <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/FoodChain" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>FoodChain</span></a>.</p><p>"In addition, they point to the risk of disrupting the ocean's capacity to absorb carbon emitted by human activities, and the noise that could disturb species such as <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/whales" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>whales</span></a>."</p><p>Read more:<br><a href="https://phys.org/news/2024-08-deep-sea-opponents-major-setback.html" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">phys.org/news/2024-08-deep-sea</span><span class="invisible">-opponents-major-setback.html</span></a></p><p><a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/OceansAreLife" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>OceansAreLife</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/MarineLife" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>MarineLife</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/DeepSeaMining" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>DeepSeaMining</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/NoDeepSeaMining" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>NoDeepSeaMining</span></a><br><a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/DarkOxygen" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>DarkOxygen</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/LifeOnEarth" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>LifeOnEarth</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Extinction" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Extinction</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Nodules" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Nodules</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Greenwashing" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Greenwashing</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/CorporateColonialism" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>CorporateColonialism</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/CorporatePolluters" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>CorporatePolluters</span></a></p>
💧🌏 Greg Cocks<p>Earth's Billion-Year Balancing Act<br>--<br><a href="https://phys.org/news/2024-02-earth-billion-year.html" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">phys.org/news/2024-02-earth-bi</span><span class="invisible">llion-year.html</span></a> &lt;-- shared technical article<br>--<br><a href="https://doi.org/10.1130/GSATG423C.1" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="">doi.org/10.1130/GSATG423C.1</span><span class="invisible"></span></a> &lt;-- shared paper<br>--<br><a href="https://techhub.social/tags/geology" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>geology</span></a> <a href="https://techhub.social/tags/geologichistory" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>geologichistory</span></a> <a href="https://techhub.social/tags/BoringBillion" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>BoringBillion</span></a> <a href="https://techhub.social/tags/BalancedBillion" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>BalancedBillion</span></a> <a href="https://techhub.social/tags/earth" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>earth</span></a> <a href="https://techhub.social/tags/earthhistory" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>earthhistory</span></a> <a href="https://techhub.social/tags/life" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>life</span></a> <a href="https://techhub.social/tags/lifeonearth" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>lifeonearth</span></a> <a href="https://techhub.social/tags/atmosphere" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>atmosphere</span></a> <a href="https://techhub.social/tags/oxygenation" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>oxygenation</span></a> <a href="https://techhub.social/tags/structuralgeology" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>structuralgeology</span></a> <a href="https://techhub.social/tags/tectonics" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>tectonics</span></a> <a href="https://techhub.social/tags/complexlife" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>complexlife</span></a> <a href="https://techhub.social/tags/eukaryote" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>eukaryote</span></a> <a href="https://techhub.social/tags/platetectonics" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>platetectonics</span></a> <a href="https://techhub.social/tags/crust" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>crust</span></a> <a href="https://techhub.social/tags/mantle" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>mantle</span></a> <a href="https://techhub.social/tags/core" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>core</span></a></p>
DoomsdaysCW<p>OMG! That's the same stuff some countries want to start mining! TY, <br><span class="h-card" translate="no"><a href="https://gratefuldread.masto.host/@verdantsquare" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@<span>verdantsquare</span></a></span> !</p><p>"Several mining companies have plans to collect these nodules, which marine scientists fear could disrupt the newly discovered process - and damage any <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/MarineLife" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>MarineLife</span></a> that depends on the <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/oxygen" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>oxygen</span></a> they make." </p><p><a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c728ven2v9eo" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://www.</span><span class="ellipsis">bbc.com/news/articles/c728ven2</span><span class="invisible">v9eo</span></a></p><p><a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/DeepSeaMining" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>DeepSeaMining</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/NoDeepSeaMining" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>NoDeepSeaMining</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/DarkOxygen" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>DarkOxygen</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/LifeOnEarth" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>LifeOnEarth</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Extinction" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Extinction</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Nodules" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Nodules</span></a></p>
DoomsdaysCW<p>This might explain why all my <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/bumblebee" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>bumblebee</span></a> friends are missing. And a lot of other critters. <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/LifeOnEarth" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>LifeOnEarth</span></a> can't tolerate these kind of extreme conditions! Seriously!!!<br><a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/ExtremeTemperatures" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>ExtremeTemperatures</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/ExtremeWeather" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>ExtremeWeather</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/TheDayAfterTomorrow" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>TheDayAfterTomorrow</span></a></p>
Susi Arnott<p><span class="h-card" translate="no"><a href="https://sauropods.win/@futurebird" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@<span>futurebird</span></a></span> <a href="https://mastodon.green/tags/LifeOnEarth" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>LifeOnEarth</span></a></p>
Grant<p>"Why insects are so crucial to life on Earth"</p><p>BBC - Nature and Us.<br>Prof Dave Goulson (Professor of Biology at University of Sussex)</p><p>A fact-filled 5min talk with lovely animation. (It's a catastrophe!)</p><p><a href="https://mstdn.social/tags/Climate" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Climate</span></a> <a href="https://mstdn.social/tags/ClimateChange" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>ClimateChange</span></a> <a href="https://mstdn.social/tags/ClimateCrisis" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>ClimateCrisis</span></a> <a href="https://mstdn.social/tags/ClimateDiary" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>ClimateDiary</span></a> <a href="https://mstdn.social/tags/Nature" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Nature</span></a> <a href="https://mstdn.social/tags/BBC" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>BBC</span></a> <a href="https://mstdn.social/tags/LifeOnEarth" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>LifeOnEarth</span></a><br><a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/ideas/videos/why-insects-are-so-crucial-to-life-on-earth/p0fw94cs?playlist=the-natural-world" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://www.</span><span class="ellipsis">bbc.co.uk/ideas/videos/why-ins</span><span class="invisible">ects-are-so-crucial-to-life-on-earth/p0fw94cs?playlist=the-natural-world</span></a></p>