“Save the Whales!” is a phrase as old as Greenpeace – and indeed, one so linked to our inception, it’s hard to separate the two. In fact, we’ve been saying it for over 40 years, popularising it so widely it’s appeared on everything from T-shirts to giant inflatables.
But we could never have known in 1985 that we’d be chanting it with even greater fervour now, as whales come under threat from a new peril: deep sea mining.
Why now?
Our recent scientific survey with the University of Exeter found the presence of whales and dolphins in two massive areas of the Pacific Ocean targeted for deep sea mining by The Metals Company. Some of them were sperm whales, which are listed as a vulnerable species.
As our understanding of deep sea mining grows, scientists are discovering it’s not just the seabed that will be totally destroyed by these massive underwater machines, but the sea life that depends on the waters many meters up.
Now, over 900 scientists from over 70 countries publicly oppose deep sea mining. As David Attenborough eloquently puts it: “The rush to mine this pristine and unexplored environment risks creating terrible impacts that cannot be reversed.”
What’s Trump got to do with it?
In April 2025, the 57th president of the United States bypassed international discussions around how deep sea mining could work (which have been going on for more than a decade), and signed an executive order saying he would permit mining within international waters.
China and France called it a breach of international law, and scientists and conservationists across the globe were horrified. But what can we expect from a man who also said “drill baby, drill”? While this is bad news for the ocean and the planet, the fight isn’t over yet. We’ve been at it for a long time already…
Saving the whales – then and now
Haven’t we been here before?
Yeah. Kinda. Over 40 years ago, Greenpeace led the charge in calling for an international moratorium (or pause) on commercial whaling.
At the time, it seemed unthinkable. In less than 100 years, humans had hunted whales to near extinction. Then, after lots of public protest in the 1960s and ‘70s, it was largely banned and numbers increased by 10% in 10 years. Species like the enigmatic blue whale, which almost vanished forever, are now estimated to be in their thousands.
Even after the moratorium was agreed, countries like Norway, Iceland and Japan continue to hunt for whales under the guise of scientific research or cultural tradition. But their activities have diminished over time as it grew evermore unacceptable. This is the power of public pressure to protect our world.
What can we do about it?
Sadly, it’s not just Trump who wants to mine the deep ocean. Unbelievably, the Norwegian government wants to mine the Arctic, threatening Northern bottlenose whales, sperm whales and many more unique species. And at home, while the UK government has said they support a moratorium, they are still supporting the industry by sponsoring a deep sea mining company’s exploration contracts. Instead, they should seize the opportunity to lead international efforts to secure a global moratorium on this dangerous and risky industry.
We need to push governments to agree to a global moratorium, which you can help do by signing the petition or sharing our content just the way singer Billie Eilish did, sharing our Trump meme and petition to her 124 million followers. Never underestimate the power of public pressure. Everything you can do does help. It’s not just Billie who Trump has to reckon with now – it’s all of us.
