Mining the Deep - Inside the Case for Seabed Extraction

Guest: Oliver Gunasekara, CEO & Co-Founder, Impossible Metals Website: impossiblemetals.com Eureka Collection System animation: https://impossiblemetals.com/blog/next-generation-eureka-collection-system-animation-now-available/ Context & Further Reading: ISA (International Seabed Authority): isa.int DISCOL experiment — long-term seafloor disturbance study: https://www.discol.de/index.html IEA Critical Minerals Report (recycling projections): https://www.iea.org/reports/global-critical-minerals-outlook-2025 Our previous episode: Trump Administration Ocean Policy Forum with Dr. Andrew Thaler, Dr. Diva Amon, and Angelo Villagomez Key Terms: Polymetallic nodules: Mineral-rich concretions found on the deep seafloor, taking millions of years to form UNCLOS: United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea Common Heritage of Mankind: Legal principle that certain global resources belong to all of humanity ISA: International Seabed Authority — the UN body governing deep seabed mining in international waters AUV: Autonomous Underwater Vehicle BGR: German Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (Bundesanstalt für Geowissenschaften und Rohstoffe)