Deep Sea Mining: The Next Climate Disaster No One’s Talking About | Vasser Seydel | TEDxBoston

Industrial deep-seabed mining in international waters could begin as soon as July 2023. If permitted, deep-sea mining could irreversibly impact the oceans' role in climate stability, biodiversity and economies.

The ocean is largely the reason we don't have runaway climate change today. It sequesters massive amounts of atmospheric carbon and absorbs the majority of the planet's rising heat, and as a result, we're already seeing symptoms of the ocean’s health decline: increased acidification, ocean deoxygenation and mass biodiversity loss. Despite international scientists, governments and civil society sounding the alarm, there's a new destructive industry on the horizon, deep seabed mining.

The deep sea is the largest habitat on the planet, yet so we know so little about it. Over 99% of the seabed is unexplored, and we have better maps of the Moon and Mars than the seafloor. What we do know is life exists and hides secrets to our origins, medicines & innovations. Deep-sea mining would permanently destroy these fragile ecosystems before we even get a chance to fully understand them.

We need a healthy ocean to survive. The ocean is home to the majority of life on the planet. It also produces more oxygen and stores more carbon than any other place on Earth. Rushing to mine the deep sea and gambling with our life support system, is unnecessary and far too big of a risk.

Interest in mining the deep-seabed is under the guise of fueling the green energy revolution. Deep-seabed mining as a climate solution is an oxymoron. The deep sea creates the climate we enjoy and rely on for survival, by ocean currents propelled by upwelling from the deep sea. It is also critical for the ocean food web, which coastal communities also rely on for food sovereignty, culture & economies. In 1990, 50% of total global population lived within 200 km of a coastline at the time of analysis, with over two-thirds of the population within 400 km of a coastline; and by 2025 70% would live within 200 km of the coastline and over 3 billion people worldwide rely on food from the ocean as a significant source of animal protein. The deep-sea is one of the largest carbon sinks and is important longterm carbon sequestration. Further, deep-sea mining will simply be an extension of already harmful mining practices into new out of sight and out of mind depths. The good news is, we don’t need deep-sea mining. We need less minerals than we think: we can reduce demand by 58% from now to 2050 with new technology, adopting circular economy models and recycling.

While the momentum for a moratorium is shifting, the window to act is closing. Join us to #DefendTheDeep so the ocean, the planet, and humanity can thrive for generations to come.


Vasser Seydel graduated with cum laude honors from the University of Georgia, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications. During her time in Athens, Vasser worked for UGA’S Office of Sustainability as the Grants and Engagement Director, represented the university as the UGA Student Sustainability Ambassador, and pursued an education outside the classroom as an intern at the United Nations Foundation and TEDWomen. After graduation, she began consulting with non-profit, business, and individual clients, specializing in communications, digital media, and strategic development, to enhance brands that create positive impacts on society. Vasser continues to promote and support her family’s legacy and commitment to environmental responsibility through her family’s foundation, the Turner Foundation, as a board member and the first Chairperson of the Turner 3rd Generation board. Additionally, she serves on the board of directors for the National Center of Family Philanthropy, Dr. Sylvia Earle’s Mission Blue and is on the advisory board for One Earth. Vasser is a Global Ambassador for Julian Lennon's, White Feather Foundation, an Arctic Angel for Global Choices and represents the International Union for the Conservation of Nature as an IUCN Environmental Youth Ambassador. At The Oxygen Project, Vasser took on the Deep Seabed Mining issue first as the Campaign Manager, then as the Director of Impact. Now, as President, she leads the organization on a mission to ignite a community of climate champions and accelerate collective action through digital storytelling, activist trainings, and impact campaigns to build a more climate-resilient tomorrow. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx