The discovery that oxygen is being generated by a certain type of metal found on the seabed of the Pacific Ocean has opened the door to a broader debate about its future.
Dubbed “dark oxygen”, it is created in extremely hostile conditions at 4,000 metres below the water's surface by sea floor clusters of metals known as polymetallic nodules. These clusters contain metals such as cobalt, manganese and nickel, which are found in lithium-ion batteries used in everything from vapes to laptops, from mobile phones to, perhaps most crucially, electric cars.
It could mean that damage to the ocean floor through mining operations is a cruelly ironic consequence of the drive to electrify transport to reduce the threat of climate change.
Cobalt can be worth more than $30,000 per tonne, while nickel is worth about half as much, although these figures fluctuate significantly as the balance between demand and supply changes. An electric car battery can contain, for example, up to 50kg of nickel worth about $750, along with several kilograms of cobalt.
Deep-sea mining
Many environmental organisations, including Greenpeace and WWF, oppose deep-sea mining, while, according to figures published by the Deep Sea Conservation Coalition (DSCC), an organisation under which more than 120 NGOs and other associations operate, 27 nations support a precautionary pause, a moratorium or a ban.
Among them is Britain, which in October said that it would not “sponsor or support the issuing of any … [exploitation] licences until sufficient scientific evidence is available to assess the potential effect of deep-sea mining activities on marine ecosystems and strong, enforceable environmental regulations, standards and guidelines have been developed and adopted”.
Dr John Childs, a senior lecturer at Lancaster University in the UK and an editorial board member of Extractive Industries and Society, said that deep-sea mining “is being offered as one of the solutions to the anticipated need to build the green-energy infrastructures of the future”.
However, he cautioned that it could not happen without “a number of significant social and ecological trade-offs”.
“There are a huge number of potential ecological harms at play,” he said. “The potential destruction of ecosystems that are home to as-yet undiscovered microorganisms, the creation of sediment plumes and noise pollution from deep-sea mining machinery present major concern for deep-sea environments, habitats and fauna.”
A senior figure from the DSCC told The National that deep-sea mining “threatens to destroy the deep sea, its ecosystems and species before we even have a chance to understand them”.
“In particular, it is currently unknown how the removal or smothering of these nodules from deep-sea mining operations and the associated sediment plumes could influence sea floor oxygen production and what the impacts on deep-sea life and processes, including carbon cycling, could be,” said Travis Aten, communications manager with the DSCC.
“These findings underscore the importance of furthering independent deep-sea scientific research across the globe to inform decision-making and emphasise the necessity for a more cautious and informed approach to deep-sea mining.”
“Understanding and conserving these processes is crucial before destructive activities such as deep-sea mining are allowed to proceed. A moratorium is needed,” said Mr Aten.
The Metals Company, who partly funded the research in the Nature Geoscience journal, took to social media on Tuesday to criticise its findings.
“The methodology and findings raise serious concerns about the validity of their data and conclusions,” it posted on X.
Conflicts of interest
The sector is regulated by the International Seabed Authority (ISA), a UN-mandated organisation that manages seabed mineral resources outside of national jurisdictions.
Trust in the ISA has “drastically eroded”, according to the DSCC, which states that there are conflicts of interest over links to mining contractors.
The regulatory body is in the middle of a leadership battle, with the incumbent secretary general, Michael Lodge, a British barrister, being challenged by a Brazilian oceanographer and administrator, Leticia Carvalho, who is keen for there to be tougher environmental safeguards.
The election of the secretary general is scheduled for the ISA’s forthcoming assembly, which runs from July 29 to August 2, and some reports have indicated that the outcome may determine whether the floor of the Pacific Ocean is mined.
So far, according to figures published by Greenpeace, the ISA has issued 31 deep-sea mining exploration contracts covering more than 1.5 million square kilometres in total. Just over half of the contracts involve the CCZ.
Following exploration, companies may apply to carry out commercial mining.
The Metals Company, one firm with an exploration contract, has already held trials in which thousands of nodules have been lifted from the sea floor.
Describing itself as an explorer of “lower-impact battery metals from polymetallic nodules”, the company aims, it states online, to “supply metals for the clean energy transition with the least possible negative environmental and social impact”.
The Metals Company, which is a partner of three Pacific island states, Tonga, Nauru and Kiribati, says that it also has an ambition to “accelerate the transition to a circular metal economy”.
It said last year that it expected to submit an application for commercial exploitation in the second half of in 2024 to begin mining operations in the fourth quarter of 2025.
While The Metals Company is keen to push ahead, Dr Childs said that investors and insurers were being put off the sector “by the high levels of risk”.
“Just look at the recent news that major insurers like Zurich are refusing to underwrite deep-sea mining,” he said. “Increasingly policy is following the science, which is recommending nothing less than a total pause in the push towards commercial extraction, at the very least until more is known about this still understudied environment.”
As commercial interests square up to environmental campaigners and many governments, it remains unclear whether the deep sea will become a vital source of metals and minerals for the energy transition – or will be left pristine for eternity.
Incredible discovery
The existence of dark oxygen raises questions about where aerobic life – life that depends on oxygen – may have started, researchers behind the study in Nature Geoscience say.
“For aerobic life to begin on the planet, there had to be oxygen and our understanding is that the Earth's oxygen supply began with photosynthetic organisms. But we now know that there is oxygen produced in the deep sea, where there is no light,” one of the researchers, Prof Andrew Sweetman, from the Scottish Association for Marine Science, said in an online statement.
The region where the dark oxygen research was carried out, the Clarion-Clipperton Zone, a large area of the Pacific between Hawaii and Mexico, is a prime area for deep-sea mining because of the heavy presence of metallic nodules.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo
Power: 268hp at 5,600rpm
Torque: 380Nm at 4,800rpm
Transmission: CVT auto
Fuel consumption: 9.5L/100km
On sale: now
Price: from Dh195,000
In%20the%20Land%20of%20Saints%20and%20Sinners
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ERobert%20Lorenz%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Liam%20Neeson%2C%20Kerry%20Condon%2C%20Jack%20Gleeson%2C%20Ciaran%20Hinds%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Skoda Superb Specs
Engine: 2-litre TSI petrol
Power: 190hp
Torque: 320Nm
Price: From Dh147,000
Available: Now
Important questions to consider
1. Where on the plane does my pet travel?
There are different types of travel available for pets:
- Manifest cargo
- Excess luggage in the hold
- Excess luggage in the cabin
Each option is safe. The feasibility of each option is based on the size and breed of your pet, the airline they are traveling on and country they are travelling to.
2. What is the difference between my pet traveling as manifest cargo or as excess luggage?
If traveling as manifest cargo, your pet is traveling in the front hold of the plane and can travel with or without you being on the same plane. The cost of your pets travel is based on volumetric weight, in other words, the size of their travel crate.
If traveling as excess luggage, your pet will be in the rear hold of the plane and must be traveling under the ticket of a human passenger. The cost of your pets travel is based on the actual (combined) weight of your pet in their crate.
3. What happens when my pet arrives in the country they are traveling to?
As soon as the flight arrives, your pet will be taken from the plane straight to the airport terminal.
If your pet is traveling as excess luggage, they will taken to the oversized luggage area in the arrival hall. Once you clear passport control, you will be able to collect them at the same time as your normal luggage. As you exit the airport via the ‘something to declare’ customs channel you will be asked to present your pets travel paperwork to the customs official and / or the vet on duty.
If your pet is traveling as manifest cargo, they will be taken to the Animal Reception Centre. There, their documentation will be reviewed by the staff of the ARC to ensure all is in order. At the same time, relevant customs formalities will be completed by staff based at the arriving airport.
4. How long does the travel paperwork and other travel preparations take?
This depends entirely on the location that your pet is traveling to. Your pet relocation compnay will provide you with an accurate timeline of how long the relevant preparations will take and at what point in the process the various steps must be taken.
In some cases they can get your pet ‘travel ready’ in a few days. In others it can be up to six months or more.
5. What vaccinations does my pet need to travel?
Regardless of where your pet is traveling, they will need certain vaccinations. The exact vaccinations they need are entirely dependent on the location they are traveling to. The one vaccination that is mandatory for every country your pet may travel to is a rabies vaccination.
Other vaccinations may also be necessary. These will be advised to you as relevant. In every situation, it is essential to keep your vaccinations current and to not miss a due date, even by one day. To do so could severely hinder your pets travel plans.
Source: Pawsome Pets UAE
AGUERO'S PREMIER LEAGUE RECORD
Apps: 186
Goals: 127
Assists: 31
Wins: 117
Losses: 33
Learn more about Qasr Al Hosn
In 2013, The National's History Project went beyond the walls to see what life was like living in Abu Dhabi's fabled fort:
RESULTS
Dubai Kahayla Classic – Group 1 (PA) $750,000 (Dirt) 2,000m
Winner: Deryan, Ioritz Mendizabal (jockey), Didier Guillemin (trainer).
Godolphin Mile – Group 2 (TB) $750,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Secret Ambition, Tadhg O’Shea, Satish Seemar
Dubai Gold Cup – Group 2 (TB) $750,000 (Turf) 3,200m
Winner: Subjectivist, Joe Fanning, Mark Johnston
Al Quoz Sprint – Group 1 (TB) $1million (T) 1,200m
Winner: Extravagant Kid, Ryan Moore, Brendan Walsh
UAE Derby – Group 2 (TB) $750,000 (D) 1,900m
Winner: Rebel’s Romance, William Buick, Charlie Appleby
Dubai Golden Shaheen – Group 1 (TB) $1.5million (D) 1,200m
Winner: Zenden, Antonio Fresu, Carlos David
Dubai Turf – Group 1 (TB) $4million (T) 1,800m
Winner: Lord North, Frankie Dettori, John Gosden
Dubai Sheema Classic – Group 1 (TB) $5million (T) 2,410m
Winner: Mishriff, John Egan, John Gosden
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
Ain Dubai in numbers
126: The length in metres of the legs supporting the structure
1 football pitch: The length of each permanent spoke is longer than a professional soccer pitch
16 A380 Airbuses: The equivalent weight of the wheel rim.
9,000 tonnes: The amount of steel used to construct the project.
5 tonnes: The weight of each permanent spoke that is holding the wheel rim in place
192: The amount of cable wires used to create the wheel. They measure a distance of 2,4000km in total, the equivalent of the distance between Dubai and Cairo.
more from Janine di Giovanni
Expert input
If you had all the money in the world, what’s the one sneaker you would buy or create?
“There are a few shoes that have ‘grail’ status for me. But the one I have always wanted is the Nike x Patta x Parra Air Max 1 - Cherrywood. To get a pair in my size brand new is would cost me between Dh8,000 and Dh 10,000.” Jack Brett
“If I had all the money, I would approach Nike and ask them to do my own Air Force 1, that’s one of my dreams.” Yaseen Benchouche
“There’s nothing out there yet that I’d pay an insane amount for, but I’d love to create my own shoe with Tinker Hatfield and Jordan.” Joshua Cox
“I think I’d buy a defunct footwear brand; I’d like the challenge of reinterpreting a brand’s history and changing options.” Kris Balerite
“I’d stir up a creative collaboration with designers Martin Margiela of the mixed patchwork sneakers, and Yohji Yamamoto.” Hussain Moloobhoy
“If I had all the money in the world, I’d live somewhere where I’d never have to wear shoes again.” Raj Malhotra
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Countries offering golden visas
UK
Innovator Founder Visa is aimed at those who can demonstrate relevant experience in business and sufficient investment funds to set up and scale up a new business in the UK. It offers permanent residence after three years.
Germany
Investing or establishing a business in Germany offers you a residence permit, which eventually leads to citizenship. The investment must meet an economic need and you have to have lived in Germany for five years to become a citizen.
Italy
The scheme is designed for foreign investors committed to making a significant contribution to the economy. Requires a minimum investment of €250,000 which can rise to €2 million.
Switzerland
Residence Programme offers residence to applicants and their families through economic contributions. The applicant must agree to pay an annual lump sum in tax.
Canada
Start-Up Visa Programme allows foreign entrepreneurs the opportunity to create a business in Canada and apply for permanent residence.
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESmartCrowd%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2018%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounder%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESiddiq%20Farid%20and%20Musfique%20Ahmed%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDubai%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFinTech%20%2F%20PropTech%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInitial%20investment%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%24650%2C000%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECurrent%20number%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2035%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESeries%20A%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EVarious%20institutional%20investors%20and%20notable%20angel%20investors%20(500%20MENA%2C%20Shurooq%2C%20Mada%2C%20Seedstar%2C%20Tricap)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Graduated from the American University of Sharjah
She is the eldest of three brothers and two sisters
Has helped solve 15 cases of electric shocks
Enjoys travelling, reading and horse riding
The bio
Studied up to grade 12 in Vatanappally, a village in India’s southern Thrissur district
Was a middle distance state athletics champion in school
Enjoys driving to Fujairah and Ras Al Khaimah with family
His dream is to continue working as a social worker and help people
Has seven diaries in which he has jotted down notes about his work and money he earned
Keeps the diaries in his car to remember his journey in the Emirates
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
The%20specs
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ETwin-turbo%2C%20V8%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E8-speed%20automatic%20and%20manual%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E503%20bhp%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E513Nm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Efrom%20Dh646%2C800%20(%24176%2C095)%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Enow%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
