New York, N.Y. (September 23, 2026) – The Metals Company (TMC) CEO Gerard Barron, in his appearance at the annual New York Times Climate Forward event, minimized the environmental risks of deep sea mining by characterizing the destructive industry as “picking up rocks.” Barron also described calls for a moratorium by scientists, corporations and environmental activists as “virtue signaling” and “a vote against science.”
In response to Barron’s remarks, Jackie Dragon, Senior Oceans Campaigner at Greenpeace USA, said: “The Metals Company has not shown that mining the ocean would replace mining on land, reduce pollution from mineral processing, or deliver the mineral independence it promises. The international seabed is our common heritage, and that’s exactly why no country should act alone in handing it over to one corporation. The deep ocean should not become a sacrifice zone for an industry that can’t prove its case.”
The Metals Company is seeking U.S. authorization to mine polymetallic nodules in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone of the Pacific Ocean, in a move that is inconsistent with international law. Its application remains under review by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and no commercial recovery permit has been issued.
Jane Fonda, actor, activist, and executive producer of the Greenpeace USA documentary GASLIT, who earlier participated in the event as a mainstage speaker, called for an end to efforts to launch deep sea mining.
Fonda said: “In the effort to save the planet and cool the planet, let’s not move to regrettable alternatives. Deep sea mining is a very regrettable alternative. And with conservation, innovation, and reusing, we don’t really need to go 2.5 miles down and destroy the bottom of the ocean when we don’t even know what’s happening down there. Biodiversity is one of the things that allow human beings to be alive. So let’s not minimize the importance of biodiversity.
“The ocean provides oxygen, food, and protein for two billion people. We can not allow it to become sicker than it already is. It’s already borrowed. We have to protect it. Deep sea mining does the opposite. We cannot allow that to happen.”
The International Seabed Authority, which administers mineral activities in the international seabed under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, has not approved commercial mining. Forty-six countries have called for a ban, moratorium, or precautionary pause.
Contact: Tanya Brooks, Senior Communications Specialist at Greenpeace USA, [email protected]
Greenpeace USA Press Desk: [email protected]
Greenpeace USA (inc.) is part of a global network of independent campaigning organizations that use peaceful protest and creative communication to expose global environmental problems and promote solutions that are essential to a green and peaceful future. Greenpeace USA is committed to transforming the country’s unjust social, environmental, and economic systems from the ground up to address the climate crisis, advance racial justice, and build an economy that puts people first. Learn more at www.greenpeace.org/usa.
