Sent 7 February 2020. Part of Little Blue Letter.

“Da minha língua vê-se o mar.” 
(From my language, you can see the sea.)
~ Vergílio Ferreira
Ocean update
It is quite difficult to talk positively about what is happening deep down on the dark ocean sea floor. As companies rush to get hold of precious metals 2,500 meters under the sea, a plethora of marine life - from microbes to snails that grow shells made of iron - is under threat.

Many imagine the seabed to be just a vast expanse of sand, but in fact, it is a diverse and dynamic landscape just as we find it on land: mountains, ragged canyons, hot springs, undersea lakes…and rich in metals such as cobalt.  

The International Seabed Authority is tasked with managing seabed mining and mitigating environmental impacts. But many are concerned that the Authority is not doing its job properly and fear that exploitation regulations, due to be concluded this year, will fall short.

The good news is that the area protected from some exploitation has increased exponentially, and renewable energies such as offshore wind farming have reached commercial viability which allows us to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels. Yet it is also new technologies that will require batteries which are made up of metals found on the ocean floor - a conundrum.

Gif of the week
Just a little reminder of why sea turtles are amazing creatures that deserve protection.
OceanOptimism
From the editor
Little Blue Letter was curated this week by Leonie Meier. Leonie is currently Consultant at the UN Economic Commission for Europe in Geneva and wrote her Master Thesis about policy responses to microplastic pollution. 
Editing etc. by Glen Wright. Glen is a researcher studying marine governance, the high seas, and ocean energy. He is a drinker of tea, lover of the sea, and an Oxford comma user. Glen recently published Academia Obscura: The Hidden Silly Side of Higher Education.
 
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