In this episode, we delve into the controversial and complex world of deep seabed mining. We feature a panel of experts from the Wonderful World Festival in Norway in 2024 [https://www.wonderfulworld.no/] discussing the environmental, economic, and geopolitical implications of extracting minerals from the ocean floor. Marine Scientists, a documentary filmmaker, mining industry officials debate the need for and consequences from extracting rare earth minerals for renewable energy technologies. Discover the unknowns of the deep sea, the ethical considerations, and the potential impact on future generations. Join us as we explore whether the pursuit of these resources is truly necessary and the role of storytelling in shaping our understanding of the ocean's mysteries.

We start with an introduction by panel moderator, Anders Dunker.

Next are excerpts from a TED Talk by Sandor Mulsow, Marine Geologist from Chile. Also included is the trailer of the documentary film DEEP Rising, which he is featured in.

Sandor Mulsow TED Talk https://youtu.be/tIg1M0b43jQ?si=_SWZ6pZs-S9lSNA1

Then we feature excerpts from the panel, that can be listened to in its entirety here…

The Deep Sea and the Mining Business: https://youtu.be/qPm1HdyvYaM?si=nw6sSrWN_8DP0A_Y

For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio

Resources/Articles:

Anders Dunker [https://www.andersdunker.com/] is a Norwegian writer and philosophical journalist based in Los Angeles and an associate professor at Oslo International School of Philosophy. In contributions across a range of publications, including Le Monde Diplomatique, Ny Tid, and the Los Angeles Review of Books, he writes about nature, technology, social change, and the planetary future. He is the editor of the book series 'Futurum' at Existenz Forlag and a regular contributor and board member in the Norwegian Writers’ Climate Campaign, as well as a collaborator in Technophany – A Journal of Philosophy and Technology. In 2019, he published Rediscovering Earth (Spartacus and O/R books). In 2022, his collection of essays, Thinking on the Planet, was published by Existenz Publishers. Unknown Territory is his third book.

Sandor Mulsow, Marine Geologist, long-time member of the International Seabed Authority, the UN's own body for safeguarding the health of the oceans. He is a professor at Universidad Austral de Chile, and was featured in the documentary film DEEP RISING. [https://www.linkedin.com/in/sandor-mulsow-b98a2214/?originalSubdomain=cl]

Other Members of the panel

Matthieu Rytz, filmmaker, visual anthropologist, director of the documentary DEEP RISING [https://www.deeprising.com/]

Kaja Lønne Fjærtoft, marine biologist and Global Head of Policy at Deep Sea Mining at WWF Norway

Øystein Bruncell Larsen - COO Loke Marine Minerals of Norway

Rune Høyvik Rosnes, Seabed Intervention technologist, economist and business developer, Deep C

Jack Eidt is an urban planner, environmental journalist, and climate organizer, as well as award-winning fiction writer. He is Co-Founder of SoCal 350 Climate Action and Executive Producer of EcoJustice Radio. He writes a column on PBS SoCal called High & Dry [https://www.pbssocal.org/people/high-dry]. He is also Founder and Publisher of WilderUtopia [https://wilderutopia.com], a website dedicated to the question of Earth sustainability, finding society-level solutions to environmental, community, economic, transportation and energy needs.

Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/

Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/

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Executive Producer and Host: Jack Eidt

Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake Beats

Episode 239