Seabed Mining Will Help Break China’s Grip on Critical Minerals

Seabed Mining Will Help Break China’s Grip on Critical Minerals
Mike Proudfoot, CEO of Marine Minerals Limited, holds a sample of tin-rich sea-bed sediment at the testing facility at the former Wheal Jane mine, near Truro in Cornwall, southwestern England, on Aug. 7, 2013. Leon Neal/AFP via Getty Images
Tom LaTourrette
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Commentary

China dominates global supply chains for nearly all critical mineral resources. Especially important are elements such as nickel, cobalt, lithium, copper, and the rare earths that power decarbonization technologies such as batteries, electric motors, and turbines. The rapidly increasing demand for these minerals has rekindled interest in extracting polymetallic nodules from the deep seabed.

Tom LaTourrette
Tom LaTourrette
Author
Tom LaTourrette is a senior physical scientist and interim director of the Community Health and Environmental Policy program at the RAND Corporation.
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