The World Wildlife Fund WWF has been denied in its attempt to stop a Norwegian decision to conduct deep-sea mining. A district court in Oslo rejected WWF's demands to stop the proposal.
The court ruling has no immediate significance, as the Norwegian government has decided not to issue permits for seabed mining this year.
Environmental organizations fear that deep-sea mining can lead to leakage of chemicals, destruction of seabed habitats through heavy machinery, and among other things, noise and spills that can affect the ecosystem.
WWF brought the case to court, arguing that the consequences of the mining industry had not been sufficiently investigated, which did not gain traction in court.
Norway and the mining industry believe that there are, among other things, copper, zinc, and cobalt, as well as other rare earth metals on the seabed.
