Deep Rising calls on marketing industry to come together to secure $5m of media to help stop an ecological disaster before it starts via Emotive

Jason Momoa’s environmental documentary, Deep Rising, about the global threat of deep seabed mining has inspired a global impact campaign headed by Laura Clarke, co-founder of Palau Pledge, in partnership with Coogee-based creative agency Emotive.

The Deep Rising documentary premiered at Sundance in 2023 and explores the urgent threat posed to the ocean by countries backed by global corporations and organisations who want to mine the deep seabed for profit.

The documentary kicked off the global citizen-led Deep Rising impact campaign to oppose mining the deep seabed. A mural by iconic Australian artist and musician Reg Mombassa and Apparition Media has been unveiled by Emotive along with this call-to-arms to the marketing industry to get involved.

The request to the marketing industry is to get behind the campaign which is currently in the works, by donating media to the Deep Rising campaign launching in June, whether that’s ad space or editorial support, the target being $5m of donated global media, with Emotive leading the strategy and creative.

What’s at stake? The ocean is home to over half of the life on our planet, and the deep sea accounts for more than 95% of the earth’s biosphere. According to UN law, the deep seabed in international waters is deemed the “common heritage of humankind” and belongs equally to all of us, and to future generations.

Despite this, and behind closed doors, companies with ties to fossil fuels are working to destabilise these regulations and open the door to mining for personal profit and corporate gain. As a result, the International Seabed Authority (ISA), who were set up by the UN to govern the deep seabed, are now in favour of exploiting it on behalf of pro-mining companies and nations.

Says Laura Clarke, head of impact for Deep Rising: “Not enough independent scientific research has been conducted to understand the environmental consequences that deep seabed mining could cause, so without intervention, we could be walking blindly into one of the most catastrophic ecological disasters of our time.

“If we can unite and draw mass global awareness to the fact that the seabed is the birthright of everyone on the planet, we can create direct action ahead of the ISA’s forthcoming decision in July this year on whether they will grant licences for pro-mining nations and companies to mine an area of the Pacific Ocean the size of Europe.”

Says Mattheiu Rytz, director and producer of Deep Rising: “The fact is we don’t actually need the rare earth metals they want to mine from the seabed. They say we need them to transition to a ‘green energy revolution’, including for electric cars, but the world’s biggest EV manufacturer, BYD, already uses tech in all their vehicles that does not require any of those deep sea metals like Cobalt, Nickel and Manganese.

“Mining companies have been creating a false narrative saying the deep seabed is essentially a barren desert and claiming the harm caused by mining will be minimal. But they’re deliberately omitting the fact that the deep seabed is the largest living space on earth and the largest carbon sink on the planet. The mass of the microbial life in the deep seabed is the equivalent to the mass of 200 billion African elephants.”

Says Simon Joyce, CEO, Emotive: “Deep Rising isn’t just a campaign; it’s a vital call to action to safeguard our planet’s future. We’ve always believed in the power of creativity to change how people feel, and what better cause to apply that to than this. That’s why we’re incredibly inspired by Matthieu Rytz and Laura Clarke’s vision, and proud to spearhead this campaign.

“This is a rare opportunity to help stop an ecological disaster before it starts. We’re hoping to harness the collective power of the marketing industry to help drive people to reclaim the deep seabed, as their birthright.If media owners, media agencies or brands want to get involved, we’d love to speak to them about how they can help.”

Says Reg Mombassa, artist and Deep Rising mural creator: “When Deep Rising asked me to design an image for a mural critical of deep seabed mining, I was happy to accept the commission. I have always been sceptical and suspicious of big business. Capitalism has brought many benefits to the world, but unregulated capitalism and the vigorous pursuit of profit and expansion have caused irreparable harm to the natural world and to humans. I can’t see how deep sea mining will be any different.”

Media organisations and brands interested in lending their support and donating media should contact simonjoyce@emotive.com.au or michaelhogg@emotive.com.au