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This briefing by Zero Carbon Analytics examines whether deep sea mining is necessary for the clean energy transition. It concludes that deep sea mining is unlikely to alleviate short-term mineral supply crunches because the technology for commercial extraction and processing is not yet available, and the steepest growth in mineral demand is expected before 2035. The document highlights that there is no physical scarcity of critical minerals in the earth's crust, but rather supply risks driven by lack of investment, recycling, and geopolitical concentration of processing in China. It suggests that sustainable land mining, supply diversification, recycling, and material substitution are more viable alternatives to deep sea mining, which carries significant unknown environmental risks.