DISCUSSING SUSTAINABILITY NARRATIVES IN THE LITERATURE ON DEEP-SEA MINING AND ITS CONFIGURATION AS RESOURCE FRONTIER

Abstract

The energy transition requires minerals that are increasingly difficult to obtain on the surface, so the ocean floor and by virtue of its mineral reserves, could meet projected demand and contribute to achieving the sustainable development goals. However, there are contradictory discourses regarding the role of sustainability in deep-sea mining. On the one hand, it is suggested that it would have less impact than surface mining. On the other hand, it argues about the negative impacts on the ocean and effects on human well-being and the livelihoods of local communities. Thus, the objective is to problematize the relationship between sustainability and deep-sea mining, based on the approach of the resource frontier and how these spaces are produced, the predominant narratives, and what are the dynamics that underlie this process. Using tools of bibliometric analysis and qualitative content analysis, it was possible to account for dominant narratives about circular economy, biodiversity, governance, and blue economy in the literature. Dynamics underlying the creation of the resource frontier are the search for new sources of minerals, the need to control resources, and positioning the ocean as a zone of unlimited development, which configure deep-sea mining as an emerging frontier for sustainability.