BERLIN (AP) — Automakers BMW and Volvo announced Wednesday that they support a moratorium on deep seabed mining for minerals used in electric vehicle batteries and other products.
The call, which was also backed by Samsung’s EV battery unit and tech giant Google, cites the importance of protecting fragile ocean ecosystems that are already under threat from overfishing, pollution, noise and man-made climate change.
While deep seabed mining is still in its infancy, several prospecting firms are seeking rights to extract potentially lucrative deposits from the depths of the ocean, particularly the metallic nodules that build up around hydrothermal vents.
To read the full article from the Associated Press, please click here