The Norwegian Parliament voted this week to allow companies to scour its territorial waters for mining opportunities. The decision is a historic event: While some exploration has taken place in international waters in the Pacific, Norway is the first country to open its continental shelf up to deep-sea mining. Environmental advocates say it will lead to irreparable harm to oceanic biodiversity.
The parliamentary decision, which passed with a large majority, will not only rattle the usually undisturbed creatures of the deep ocean—many of which are still unknown to science—but could affect wider maritime ecosystems and jurisdictions for decades to come.