Polymetallic nodules. Polymetallic sulphides. Cobalt-rich ferromanganese crusts. These words are unlikely to make into small talk at the pub or around the dinner table. So why do they matter? They matter because these are valuable resources. They matter because they are your resources, even though you’ll probably never see them. And they matter because companies […]

Can environmental safeguards prevent the worst effects of deep-sea mining? Until fairly recently, the deep seabed has remained relatively untouched, its inaccessibility protecting it from human interference. But ingenuity driven by opportunity to turn a profit has begun to solve the problem of how to explore and exploit the ocean’s most remote resources. What’s down […]

In many circles, plantations have a bad rap. Their detractors point to examples where vibrant rainforests or rare natural grasslands have been replaced with single-species tree farms – so called “green deserts”. In many cases, large plantation developments have displaced people and disrupted livelihoods. Bad plantations certainly exist. Yet these critiques do not tell the full […]