American actor Jason Momoa, the superhero of the seasaquaman in the cinema, an alarm bell sounded Friday at the Sundance film festival against the dangers of deep-sea mining.
The native Hawaiian actor is the narrator of deep liftingone of the most anticipated documentaries of the festival, which denounces the race of the big industrial groups in search of rare metals in the abyss.
Deep seabeds, which absorb vast amounts of carbon dioxide, arouse covetousness for their deposits of rare metals used in industrial and electronic applications.
Degradation of marine ecosystems
Proponents of seabed mining argue that harvesting polymetallic nodules, including nickel and cobalt used for electric car batteries, can help reduce reliance on fossil fuels.
But environmentalists and scientists fear, in addition to the risks for vulnerable species in these areas, a degradation of marine ecosystems that play a fundamental role in climate regulation. Several countries have called for a moratorium or a ban on this exploitation.
“There were moments when I cried and I was overwhelmed with emotion” during the narration, Jason Momoa told AFP ahead of the film’s world premiere at the festival, which is being held in Utah, United States.
“It is very important to use your power for good. It’s about all these things that fascinate me,” adds the actor who took marine biology courses during his studies and was appointed ambassador for Life Underwater by the United Nations Environment Program.
3,600 tons of metals extracted
The documentary follows key players in this emerging industry, such as the Canadian group TMC (The Metals Company). The latter obtained from the International Seabed Authority (AIFM), based in Kingston, Jamaica, a first “test permit” last September to extract 3,600 tons of metals in the Clarion Clipperton (Pacific) area near Hawaii .
It shows what happens behind the scenes when the group’s chief executive, Gerard Barron, woos investors by assuring them that “the most arid and desolate part of the planet” will suffer little damage compared to what the mining industry inflicts on tropical rainforests.
But “we know so little” about the real risks to the seabed, the director of deep liftingMatthew Ritz.
“Seabed mining is just a pinch, because we still don’t have enough science to really understand what’s going on there,” he adds.
“The New Oil”
TMC, however, expects to extract ten million tons of material from the seafloor every year starting in 2025. And this group is just one of about 20 research institutes or companies with ocean exploration permits waiting for light. green to start mining in the oceans. a commercial scale.
Matthieu Rytz’s documentary argues that there is no “miracle solution” to the energy crisis. For him, the race that is being prepared is only “for the new oil” and could unleash future wars for access to resources.
The film shows AIFM meetings, described by Matthieu Rytz as a “dark room in Kingston, Jamaica” where delegates decide on “the future of 65% of the planet’s surface.”
“It is about the high seas, it is beyond national jurisdictions,” he insists. “It’s everyone’s or no one’s.”
“It’s a total disaster”
In the film, Matthieu Rytz discusses with scientists why alternative, cleaner and more abundant energy sources, such as hydrogen, could be explored for the automotive industry or more different options could be developed, such as high-speed rail.
“First, we don’t need these metals,” he argues. “These places where we are going to extract, it is a total disaster, there is no half disaster, it is like razing a tropical forest.”
For Jason Momoa, watching this film “you have to ask yourself questions”, discuss it “and tell yourself: ‘we have to rethink everything'”.
Source: BFM TV
