Courtesy by the governments of the world. The never ending story of asbestos starts june 21st on d, w, the the in the middle of the pacific ocean, an ambitious expedition has set taps to explore the deep sea going, when no human has ever gone before, where a numerous deposits of minerals night doman. Can chew menissi benefit from this on top, the source of wealth, the technology to harvest, it already exists. The 1st prototype of the deep sea collect tested the tri should stones is called atanya. Its being tested at a depth of several 1000 meters. Scientists monitoring its deployments because what is technically feasible might actually destroy a delicate underwater wells. Is it was the risk this isnt included in them. These are basically batteries in stone form. This is exactly what you need to build a battery. Theres manganese, nickel, cobalt and copper to conduct the electricity and Environmental Protection organizations such as green piece one to prevent deep sea mining its own costs. Its the last cost of the planet that humans have yet to exploit for resources of the oceans in danger. The making peace with nature is of the funding task of the century, preserving as restarting the oceans ability to nurture humanity and regulatory climates will be the defining challenges of these beckett. The 71 percent of the surface is covered by oceans. Its the neurologist habitat to on the planet, the, the ocean surface, an important teach buffer and comp in sync. They observe about a quarter of manmade. C, o 2 emissions, and thus mitigate the effects of Climate Change. The depth on need added on it, or it needs to be oceans survive. Suzy goods, they regulate the climate. Um they provide food home so they provide the oxygen, we bring more than 50 percent of it by the way and do things. But the worlds oceans of suffering that ruthlessly being fished back the waste produced by an increasing the affluent society is becoming more prevalent in the war time. Virtually indestructible Plastic Waste in dangerous animals, and that habitats so called ocean dead zones guessing of a larger Climate Change is also causing sea levels to rise. Never the last its exploitation continues. Sand and gravel of being dredged for uses building materials. At this point where weve lost 50 percent of our ocean, 50 percent of the wells and the fish that lived in the ocean when my grandfather 1st started school diving after the 2nd world war from disappeared. Now were exploring that he was searched places that is still quite inaccessible. We know almost nothing of the prompted animal species living that the yet twitter, when there are results which know jill some, the c badge, they may have co bolts, nicole manganese and co pay. Just the materials to meet the rapidly growing demand for battery use as the well shifts away from fossil fuels. Getting metals from our planet can be done without any Environmental Impact. So what we need to be thinking about is how do we make decisions that cause least harm to the planet that were trying to protect . In june 2021, the United Nations in new york was focusing attention on the highly threatening to maureen habitat. The un proclaimed in ocean decades to advance that protection and Sustainable Development of the worlds oceans. Actress data will develop and these challenges should be Top Priorities for everyone everywhere. Welcome to the united ticket, open science together that has discovered the science we needs for the ocean. We want. Thank you. Mm. The in march 2021 in the midst of the global corona virus pandemic, special shit was dropped at the us pacific fleets naval base in san diego. The vessel, the island pride was preparing to go to sea. Its crew and to company and european scientists were going on a special mission the as part of the mining impact program. There was such as we are heading out to examine what happens on the c bed during the worlds 1st tests of a 35 ton underwater harvesting machine, called a poly metallic o manganese note, your collect to sign out. Its a big project. We want to analyze the Environmental Impact of among these not you will collect on working in the deep sea. We have quite a few scientific groups on board. You also test this is the 1st test of its kind and were really close to the conditions you might expect from a deep sea mining operation. Its very important for the environmental analyses, parameters, understand it, that needs to be development, stand off the answer because thats what were doing together with so many great scientific groups here. A concentration of your Scientific Minds actually on the oil fall. The technical we have all the technology is the Marine Research institute offer. Weve got all sorts of equipment here, all very high tags. Yes, im really looking forward to know that its finally getting underway. All kinds of measuring and testing equipment we used during this expedition, including this giant bobo land, which has already been in service for 25 years at the lending gear thats. Thats right. But then not for the moon, but for lending on the c beds. Um so very much like thats legal drop, its from the ship and most of the wisdom, different kinds of sensors. And then its, it goes in 3 fold too for can you me to steps and then make a quiet landing on the sea. Thats all we want to know, whats the impact this of the to mining, which is a concern to many people also to myself. I think we needs good up to faces of sufficient stone. Theyre close to where this money is going to happen. So you know, better that we can better predicts whats in pennsylvania such as one to investigate fast well, industry is ready to dig this advertisement for the canadian mining enterprise. The Metals Company promises a simple solution. Energy from the sun and wind is replacing the fossil fuels to power the transmission to a sustainable future. We need batteries to store this energy. Batteries are made from metals such as cobalt, nickel, copper and manganese. Until now weve been mining the earth for them, Digging Deeper and wider for lower quality orse. Nature disappears. Humans suffer. Earth suffers. But there is another way of all thats needed, a mutton robots. But is it that simple . The canadian city of toronto is wes simmons. This semester lives. Shes the head of sustainable se for the Belgian Mining Company g. I saw them manganese know jo, collectivism, getting a series of tests in the pacific as we are together globally. We are facing a Climate Crisis and i think, you know, there is this increasing recognition around the world that we need to do something and we need to do something now. So thats a big part of that is moving towards clean energy. So moving away from, from fossil fuels and what that means is that were moving away from a planet fuel on fossil fuels to one that is built on metals and minerals because clean Metal Technology is so metal intensive. So far, these will materials have come from mines on land located primarily in asia and africa. The work is often disruptive and tom sold to nature. The mines that are often located in politically unstable countries like the democratic republic of congo, where theres not much respect for human rights. The work is often suffer when dis, working conditions risking their lives sticking metals that fetched prices fall greater than the wages. The industry says getting results is from the c that will be far easier. We have options about where those metals can come from and, and were exploring one which is going to the sea floor for them. And theres a lot of reasons why going to the sea floor intuitively seems to make some sense. And one is we dont need to remove that for us. And in some cases, tropical rain forests are being removed to get some nickel. We dont need to remove for us or are single trees to get to the metal thats on the sea floor. Nor do we need to move mountains to get to the orbit or body and people dont need to be relocated. So right away those, those reasons make a lot of sense. And of course, that doesnt mean that we can just dive to the deep sea and, and not do it thoughtfully. We also have to get the Research Done so that we understand how to proceed well, minimizing our environmental footprint. Come thatd be deep sea results collection without causing new environmental problems. The islands pride deposited from san diego for a 6 week expedition to find out expect patients for hi miss you own is this mission is to investigate the Environmental Impact of all this. We know a lot about this marine habitats on that. Its ecology. Do you the animal . Is that and if that of a nice but not necessarily what the impact will be when Big Equipment and machines on driving around on the see that the me of us board and have them find on our objective is simply to attempt to finalize and to mutually take measurements, so we can present these findings to the public in a scientific key balanced way younger. Some child please know its 5 science industry and policy makers all watch the expedition closely. The findings could have far reaching consequences, as humans move towards the age of Green Technology of the crew and researches waived farewell. As the San Diego Sky line receded, the boats went off into the night of 2 as some countries and companies would like to develop new sources for room materials as quickly as possible to make the ocean a source of mineral resources. The k provide days 10 islands located around 600 columbus is of the west african coast. The country has half a 1000000 inhabitants, most of them descended from form african slaves. Once the colony of portugal, it gained independent, same 1975. The even though capes that is considered one of the most prosperous countries in africa, the still the loss of poverty. So many the sea is the source of life. With a look at the coast line and some places indicate something is wrong here. Whether we want sandy beach is a now on the stove, the on of a go works for the conservation organization. Loved to now she also takes people on choice. The nature has been most seriously explored to the women. What should truck go buy loaded with sand from the show . This was just bought. And so we sell to someone else. So they come here speak of the cents, and then the seller through the market is like a small business. Hes not the really big company. So there are several taxes i was just only one. And as you see dozens of so much st anymore, so you need so that, that still exist if youd be, so if theres a against the law, its would be then a big a descent. But the surveillance is very weak, thats the big problem. Its not allowed the big sams. Uh oh do. There is not civilians here, but its good to be controlled on the road. But no one doesnt. The 2 conservationists look on stones to see how these people are we legally stripping sand from beneath stuff feet . No, i mean i got another truck is loaded this time with sand taken from the sea bed days ago. The sound is sold as rule material for the Construction Industry for use this back. Breaking job has been the only way for people like maria to and little money to the 80 piece ago side of it. Thats very exhausting and tiring. Sometimes theres even a dangerous drowning we found in the walton like this. Its thing dressed. All right. But if we dont do this, there is no other way for us to win money. You know, put that on here. Leo. The conservationist think diane ok, im are you the lodge on a lounge that years ago . The bay of leave it at the back row was a sandy beach covered with gainesville, mazda, 6 of them. Nothing of that remains today. And i totally assessed the people digging up to some to know what they doing here isnt right. I will ive asked uh how much they had to do this kind of job. And that was shocked because each truck is around 30. 00 to 40. 00 euros. And if they are desperate to sell even friends, 5 years they sell and the driver will say, at least around honda, trying to use a i even asked if they would like to change their job to do something else. They said, yes, it goes up. What can you see if the the sand is being taken from the seas for use beach has a disappearing and not just in cape ready. The sand is gathered in small bouts or with a numerous industrial ships from many oceans. The impacts on devastating scientists and conservationists of low moon dive degradation of habitats for power from direct to the intellect we all consume directly or indirectly with founder gravel that comes from the oceans theme. This is also a very big problem in the Construction Industry worldwide, because so much sand and gravel are being taken from beaches, including right off the coast. That entire eco systems are now changing. And biodiversity is suffering. An entire structures are being a road it um and last but not least, i organized maggio like groupings are work behind the scenes. People are forced to transport sound illegally, comfortable, entire islands are now almost free of sand in order. It must be said to enable a construction boom in the globalized, actuated west, and phone, which would actually have no future at all in this day. And age is evil hopkins. So this is an issue that is causing major problems and our scenes at the moment. But hardly anyone knows that hopefully mobile high to the slicing will call me month in india, africa, and all over the world, even in the north sea, sand is being dredged from sea beds. Descriptions of sandy c shows no longer ring true. The, the, the suns typically makes up around one so just concrete, gigantic buildings, and does it country 0. So it may just send from the sea because does it sound does on suitable for building the even the sand to prestige projects such as the artificial islands of 2 by, comes from the sea for exploitation has the faithful consequences for coastal areas, microorganisms, and habitats on either the well, the meanwhile, the islands, pride has headed for an army or of ocean known as the clarion clintons own between mexico. Until i hear enormous quantities of poly metallic nodules, an estimated 13000000000 tons lie on the sea floor. It takes almost 6 days for the island to pride to reach its destination. These devices help the keys to the expedition success. Everything have to work. The tension was palpable. There was such as play music to help themselves relax. That is, im the one thats at t v 9. Now this is whats called a d z nanda and inside of the module like this, optical measuring device so, so many electrodes all connected to it in the corner. They all these routes that we see here is a very small to the optically measure the oxygen content in the sentimental. So the whole thing is no one to the seasonal. And then there is a mutual niche thats program is before hand on the floor and we then use it to drawing these words into the settlement and measure how much oxygen is that really high tech. Right . Because definitely, yeah, its a challenge for any device conditions. Theyre extreme, columbus has below the surface, the supposed to be a mess. And yes, its just turned down. But what we want to measure from the oxygen levels on the sea floor in the distribution without produce different results when you bring them up all day in columbus and, and oxygen is something, as we know, al sales. Thats essentially system how many organisms use oxygen and we see that as an indicator of how much the system is messed. The thing is if you just the substrate a loss or remove it completely, youre taking away a layer thats being deposited of a many thousands of years where active processes take place in a bind to stood adolfo gotten rid of it and civil velocity. And so, so you already have a chance to see now from the measurements. Does that have an effect or does it look exactly the same as it did before that and the dead . And although the island pride has made its way to the belgian license area, this is where it was due to join the ship belonging to the Belgian Mining Company d. I saw the boat. Who has that to test baton. Yeah, the, well, the 1st machine prototypes are collecting manganese know deals. Im going to measure my docs normans itself, the cause of the i its, i really a lot of manganese nodules here and thats we can see on the map with a mark license serious of the international c by the 30 for manganese nodules. Are the ones at the moment. These are all exploration licensed areas for companies or countries of acquired licenses and are looking to see how many manganese novels are located there. Which parts of the area of mines in one of your finance. Now were going to the belgian licensed area and there is one license as hell for the company, tsr and then ask. And then in 2 weeks courts will go to the german license area, which is a bit. So twist that theres the stuff on for g s, halls person of contact for flush, i name was also on board. He was responsible for communication between the industrial vessel and the scientist says, the tests began in the belgian license area was as, as its own, a bit like the wild west area is a mont townhome, the sea bed, the 2nd nation. So companies are allowed to explore, such as the belgian company, saw here. They were already in the working area. This meeting was taking place on the high seas on the loading platform at the moment and the g stood petunia, able to dive to a depth of several 1000 meters. The its 1st knife was being prepared. The technical challenge was for me to vote the device out to manage the extreme prussia and to maneuver the program to rates independently connected to the ship by a supply line. Only a stick has a human um the gsr had been developing the baton. Yeah. As a many, is this, mona model was built a few years ago. Now petunia too was to face its 1st real test. If it passed with flying colors, the vessel could possibly become a message for commercial c bed mining in the future. So for tanya too is a stay for non dual co service and i think the easiest way to picture it is to think of a vacuum cleaner. So the vehicles been designed to pick up nodules and leave as much sediment behind as possible and then bring them to basically collect them. And eventually that vehicle be collected to a riser which will bring the nodules to the surface. But baton, you too, was designed to collect the nodules and initially collected them and have been at the back of the vehicle. And then those modules were the positives away from the, the vehicles tracks and other points in the trial here was no it several times into the deep