That is mostly because of the environmental toll of mining.
Such mining generates incredible amounts of waste. Furthermore, it leads to damage of nearby flora and fauna.
By 2040, mineral demand for clean energy technologies will likely quadruple. That’s a cause for worry for environmentalists because of the likely impact on the ecosystem.
But now, two companies, the Vancouver-based
The Metals Company and the Danish company
Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG)have got together to mine the deep seas for these resources, a lesser destructive alternative to surface mining.
Together, these companies recently unveiled designs for seafloor mineral collector robots and carbon-neutral vessels.