Source: The Commonwealth
A new illustrated book, co-published by the Commonwealth, seeks to educate children about seabed minerals and the impacts of their exploitation through deep sea mining.
Treasures of the Deep is a story of Phoebe, Kaira and Tevita, who descend in a submarine to the depths of the ocean, where they learn about exotic ecosystems and rich mineral deposits on the sea floor.
High concentrations of cobalt, gold, nickel, copper and other rare earth metals, fused into potato-sized nodules or built up in underwater geysers, could mean huge economic gains for countries that choose to mine them.
However, the environmental impacts of such an exercise are not well understood.
Commonwealth Head of Oceans and Natural Resources Nicholas Hardman-Mountford welcomed the book, which was produced in partnership with the Deep Ocean Stewardship Initiative, the University of Southampton and InDeep.
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