Mining the deep ocean
Here's something that might blow your mind — deep beneath the Pacific, a massive machine just like a tank is scooping up valuable minerals from the ocean floor. In 2022, Natasha Gilbert reports that a Canadian company, The Metals Company, successfully tested a 70-ton harvester over a stretch of seabed. Now, they’re eyeing a huge area — 65,000 square kilometers — to extract over 600 million tons of nodules packed with copper, cobalt, manganese, and nickel. But here’s where it gets fascinating — this isn’t just a one-off. According to Natasha Gilbert, around 31 projects worldwide, including efforts from China, India, and tiny Nauru, are racing to mine these deep-sea riches. These nodules could be a game-changer for critical minerals, which are vital for everything from smartphones to green energy. So, what does this mean for the future? As Gilbert points out, the race to mine the ocean’s depths is on, and the stakes are higher than ever.