Deep below the ocean’s surface, the seabed is teeming with life, home to millions of species, many of which are yet to be discovered. It is also the largest carbon sink, working to stabilise the planet’s climate, but there is a plot underway with mining companies working tirelessly to turn a vast area of the Clarian-Clipperton Zone (CCZ) – spanning over 3 million square kilometres in the Pacific Ocean – into the world’s largest mine.
The campaign features a feature-length documentary, “Deep Rising”. Directed and produced by Matthieu Rytz and narrated by Jason Momoa, the film will be available to stream directly on the campaign’s website. It will also launch on Amazon Prime Video, Google Play, and Apple TV.
Deep-sea bed mining is the process of extracting mineral deposits from the ocean floor, typically from depths greater than 200 meters. As terrestrial mineral resources become increasingly depleted and the demand for metals continues to rise, deep-sea bed mining is becoming a more viable option. However, despite its potential to meet these growing demands, research warns that deep-sea mining could have devastating consequences, including the destruction of fragile marine habitats and the extinction of species.
Speaking at the event, Laura Clarke, Deep Rising’s head of impact and co-executive producer, condemned the process in a powerful and emotional address, calling out Gerard Baron, one of the men leading the charge in this proposed mining project and, sadly, a former Australian advertiser.
“There’s a huge area of the Pacific Ocean the size of India that mining companies and certain nations want to mine for profit, and what they’re after is some metals, nickel and cobalt, to be exact. They say we need these like we need these metals right to transfer our whole economy to a green economy. But they’ve created this false narrative,” she explained.
“Basically, they want to scrape the deep sea bed. I’m not talking about drilling, I’m talking about strip mining, an area the size of India for these poly metallic nodules, which they claim we need, which we don’t”.
“It’s like skin. Once you damage the fragile skin of your body, it has to heal. Unfortunately, the deep sea bed doesn’t heal. So, our largest carbon sink can’t sequester carbon anymore. Like, that’s really the long and short of it. And there are millions of species down there that we don’t even know yet. So mining is a terrible idea”.
“This is not just going to affect deep-sea life. It’s going to affect whale migration. It’s going to affect coral reefs. It’s going to affect all of our oceans, everything that we love out there, it’s going to affect”.
Clarke, who lived and worked in Palau, saw first-hand the impacts that this kind of mining can have on small island nations and cultures that are so deeply embedded in the ocean. The tiny island is a world leader in sustainability and conservation.
“It was when I heard that the deep sea bed in the High Seas is the ‘common heritage of humankind’ and should be held in trust for future generations and not exploited for profit by any national corporation that’s when I started to get really fucking angry because I was like, that belongs to me. It belongs to all of you. It belongs to my god. Children, it belongs to the Palau children, it doesn’t belong to those fuckers”.
Performing at the event was the 2 times Aria Award-winning band Lime Cordiale. As proud supporters of the cause, Louis and Oliver Leimbach took a few minutes to chat with B&T at the event.
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“It’s something we’ve always been passionate about,” Oliver said when asked why the pair supported the cause. “As we’ve gained more of an audience, we’ve realised we really need to be vocal and play good role models. We don’t want to be selfish wanker musicians. We would like to spread a good message, and something like this is a good message”.
“We’ve made this mistake before, just rushing in there for a bit of cash, and it’s a bad idea,” Oliver said.
- Lime Cordiale
Calling for all companies to have a climate statement listed clearly on their website, the band said that it was time we start asking questions as consumers on the products we are using and what kind of sustainability practices these brands are using.
“What’s your product made of? Is it full of microplastics? Is it full of junk that’s just going to be seeping in the earth forever?” Louis said.
“Some people are doing great things, other people are just cutting corners because it’s easier,” said Oliver.
“We realise that we are hypocrites in a lot of ways. We have a massive carbon footprint, and that’s one of our goals at the moment, is to be lowering that and trying to change the music industry”.
Former world tour surfer and environmentalist Adrian ‘Ace’ Buchan also appeared on the panel, calling out to each of us to do what is right and do our part to protect the ocean.
“I’ve been lucky enough to live a life in and around the ocean, to have had a career riding waves that have travelled across vast oceans, created by unseen storms. The ocean has no voice, but it is on the front line in our collective fight for survival, and we owe it to the blue beating heart of our earth to be the voice of hope, preservation, and respect. Deep Rising allows us the opportunity to stand up against the exploitation of one of our last remaining frontiers,” he said.
Back in March, Emotive unveiled a giant street mural by Australian artist and musician Reg Mombassa and Apparition Media along with a call-to-arms to the marketing industry to get involved. Over the past 8 months, JCDecaux, ARN, Channel Nine, Mamamia, WeAre8, On the Edge and Surfers for Climate have rallied to support with over $2M of advertising and editorial committed in Australia, UK and the US with more partners still coming onboard.
“Emotive’s purpose is to create ideas that change the way people feel. Changing how people feel about deep sea mining to ensure the safeguarding of our planet’s last pristine wilderness is arguably the most important thing we’ve ever pointed at. I’m grateful to the Deep Rising team for bringing the problem to the world’s attention before it’s too late, and now we’re inviting the whole world to go on the journey with us,” said Michael Hogg, managing partner and head of strategy, Emotive who also appeared on the panel.
Michael Hogg Emotive’s chief strategy officer and managing partner also appeared on the panel hosted by Josh Kirkman, CEO of Surfers For Climate.
People can freely claim their unique coordinates in around 60 seconds via a digital platform backed by web3 technology. In partnership with Web3 organisation CoinWeb, people’s claims will be recorded on an eco-friendly blockchain for transparency and proof of stewardship so that it can be used to dispute mining corporations’ claims to exploit the deep seabed for profit.
In return for their claim, users will receive a unique DEEPSEA NFT / Birthright Certificate stamped with their individualised GPS coordinates featuring designed deep sea creatures inspired by deep ocean life, known and unknown. The non-tradable NFTs will be available in 90 languages, including many indigenous languages, and can easily be shared on social channels.
Claim your piece of the seabed now.
Credits:
Client: Deep Rising
Director, Producer & Co-Creative Director: Matthieu Rytz
Head of Impact and Co-Executive Producer: Laura Clarke
Head of Communications: Katie Lettice
Co-Creative Director and Co-Executive Producer: Paul Sharp
Head of Strategy: Florence Tercier
Partnerships Manager: Mark Haver
Partnerships Consultant: Marie-Céline Piednoir
Social Media Coordinator: Mackenzie Govett
Creative and Production: Emotive
CEO & Founder: Simon Joyce
Managing Partner & Chief Strategy Officer: Michael Hogg
Group Creative Director: Darren Wright
Senior Creative Director: Paul Sharp
Creative Directors: Kat Topp, James Pash
Head of Design: Daniel Mortensen
Senior Designer: Chris Cooper
Senior Art Director: Tessa Chong
Head of Production: Hayley-Ritz Pelling
Creative Producer: Jenna Fisher
Producer: Rebecca Love-Williams
Business Directors: Mitchel O’Donohue, Pia McMorran
Senior Account Directors: Robyn Claffey, Zoe Hartas
Media Agency: Kookaburra Riot
Founder: Paul Murphy
Website Build: Taledo & JTB
Taledo Founder: Peter Vahaviolos
Blockchain Partner: Coinweb
Global PR: HAVAS Red
