Lawmakers in Norway make a deal opening up for deep sea mining in Arctic Ocean

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Norway’s government has made a deal with two large opposition parties to open the Arctic Ocean to seabed mineral exploration despite warnings by environmental groups that it would threaten the region’s biodiversity. Norway said in June it wanted to open parts of the Norwegian continental shelf for commercial deep sea mining in line with the country’s strategy to seek new economic opportunities and reduce its reliance on oil and gas. The head of the local chapter of Greenpeace says Norway is now allowing irreversible interventions in areas where nature is completely unknown. According to the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate, there are metals and minerals on the seabed that are crucial for making batteries, wind turbines, PCs and mobile phones.