Rare species face extinction risk from some deep-sea mining, scientists say

Deep sea mining could harm countless species, expert say (Alamy/PA) -

Rare species found around volcanic vents or seamounts on the ocean floor could be put at risk of extinction by deep-sea mining, scientists have found in a sweeping review of studies published over the last 50 years.

Deep-sea mining involves extracting minerals such as cobalt, nickel and copper from the seabed to supply resources for laptops, phones, weapons, green technologies, electric vehicle batteries and infrastructure.