Deep Rising
To power the green economy, a new frontier is found for extracting minerals: the deep sea. But mining the ocean floor may have enormous unforeseen consequences. And who really owns the deep sea anyway?
Take Gerard Barron, CEO of Deep Green Resources. His company is developing ways to bring manganese nodules to the surface from the ocean floor. This, he claims, could open the door to a sustainable planet. According to him, these deep-sea treasures could fully power the global boom in electric cars. Barron's green pitch is met with much enthusiasm.
But experts like marine geologist Sandor Mulsow are vehemently opposed to mining on the ocean floor. The minerals are crucial for biodiversity in the ocean - which in turn is crucial for life on earth. Moreover, it has been established that the deep sea is "common heritage of mankind" - in other words, owned by all of us. And are the indigenous people of Papua New Guinea, whose livelihoods are threatened by this, being listened to at all?
On this evening, we welcome four guests: Sian Owen (Deep Sea Conservation Coalition), Sascha Landshoff (Greenpeace), Stefanie Wels (Ocean Rebellion), and Aaron Pereira (Ocean Rebellion). Sian Owen will briefly introduce the film, after which it will be the turn of Sascha Landshoff, Stefanie Wels and Aaron Pereira to shed their light on the issues.
