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July 1, 2025 11 mins

About half of the oxygen that you are breathing right now is made in the ocean. And last year, scientists found that some of it is made three kilometres down in total darkness by microbes that live on the seabed.

We had no idea about any of this before then, and now, next month, the United Nations International Seabed Authority is deciding whether they will let industrial rigs strip minerals out of the seabed. But is that a good idea when it turns out we know so little about it?

Surely there are smarter options, right? And what do we even need those minerals for anyway? Well, that’s what we’ll be discussing in this episode.

In this episode let's talk about:

  • What Dark Oxygen is and why we should be worried
  • What is found in the deep sea
  • What deep sea mining actually is and why we do it
  • The dangers of deep sea mining
  • Why there is a need for the metals gained from deep sea mining
  • Why everyone is panicking about it
  • Who wants to deep sea mine and who doesn't
  • Trump’s executive order that is allowing fast-tracking of deep sea mining applications
  • Other countries’ responses to deep sea mining
  • What you can do about it


Find our full podcast via the website here: https://www.nowthatswhaticall.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nowthatswhaticallgreen/

You can follow me on socials on the below accounts.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/briannemwest/

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LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/briannemwest/

For our latest big project, find out more about Incrediballs here: https://incrediballs.com/

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