Norway suspends deep-sea mining projects

Norway has temporarily halted the licensing process for deep-sea mining in the Arctic seabed. The decision comes as the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) continues to pursue a court case against the Norwegian state. Critics of the plans express concern that they could harm fragile marine ecosystems. The suspension of the licensing process was reportedly the result of a political compromise, in which the Socialist Left Party agreed to support the government's 2025 budget in exchange for cancelling the first round of licenses for deep-sea mining. The licenses would have permitted the mining of 280,000 square kilometers of Norwegian waters for precious metals, an area roughly equivalent to the size of the United Kingdom. Environmental scientists have warned that such an operation could have devastating consequences for marine life.