The Quiet Rush
Forget the space race. Deep sea mining is the new frontier as commercial miners race to access critical minerals to power decarbonisation and Artificial Intelligence (AI). So why is it controversial? It's the most important battle you've never heard of.
Why the fate of the 21st century may be sitting in the ocean
While the world obsesses over space and AI, a quieter race is unfolding below the surface of our oceans. The outcome could shape the future of artificial intelligence, energy, and global power.
It’s happening now, in the pitch-black trenches of the Pacific, where mineral rich rocks essential to everything, from EV batteries to AI chips, lie in wait.
As China faces off with western powers, why is Jamaica the epicentre of a major showdown and what does Darth Vader have to do with it? We're about to dive deep (sorry, there'll be a lot more of these) and cover the play by play, so consider this your briefing room.
Understanding the issue: the battle for the blue
Artificial intelligence, electric vehicles, renewable energy: you've surely head of these mega developments shaping our world. But did you know they hinge on a handful of rare metals?
Cobalt, nickel, manganese, copper are powering the drive towards a more advanced world, but they're running short on land. As demand soars, land mines are struggling with geopolitical instability, environmental backlash, and supply-chain fragility (a single shutdown in a key region can spike prices and stall production).
Enter stage left: the deep blue sea.
At 4,000 meters or just over 2 miles beneath, these minerals populate large swathes of sea floor like pebbles at the shore. They‘re so abundant, they vastly outnumber terrestrial supply and so rich, they're enough to fuel the mineral-intensive drive towards net zero by 2050 and help usher in a new age.
Contained in potato-sized rocks dubbed poly-metallic nodules, these minerals are mostly found in an area of the Pacific Ocean known as the Clarion Clipperton Zone. No one has touched them yet but it's not for lack of trying. Miners are desperate to get down there with remotely operated vehicles, but there's resistance from conservationists and a growing list of countries, like France.
And then there's the pesky issue of regulations. This is the high seas - no country has control of these parts. But is the regulator - a UN body headquartered in Jamaica - dragging its feet? And why are they suddenly racing against a clock that's about to run out?
Is Donald Trump about to upend the entire conversation with a stroke of his pen spurred on by a man with only 3000 followers on X?
Forget space - this is the new frontier. The battle is on to access these minerals and win the race for the 21st century. and we're about to cover the play by play.
But first, let’s talk about the battleground.
#DeepSeaMining #CriticalMinerals #AIInfrastructure #Geopolitics #Tradewar