Project Story

The deep ocean is Earth’s last largely intact ecosystem, a living system that regulates climate, produces oxygen, stores carbon, and sustains marine life across the planet. Yet it is increasingly being positioned as the next frontier for industrial extraction through deep-sea mining. Much of the proposed mining is concentrated in the Pacific, a region shaped by ongoing histories of colonization, militarization, extraction, and Indigenous resistance. For many Indigenous Peoples, the ocean is not a resource frontier. It is ancestor, food system, medicine source, migration pathway, and relative. The growing push for deep-sea mining raises urgent questions: Who decides the future of the deep ocean? Who bears the ecological and cultural risks? Can a sustainable future be built through sacrificing one of Earth’s least understood ecosystems?

Our Work & Approach

RISE Earth Initiative is a Native Hawaiian-led nonprofit working at the intersection of Indigenous rights, ocean protection, environmental justice, and education. Through our “Rights. Impact. Sustain. Educate.” framework, we create awareness, build power, sustain communities, and educate future generations. Our deep-sea mining project combines research, public education, media, advocacy, and movement-building to increase understanding of deep-sea mining’s environmental, political, and human rights implications. In 2026, we published Deep Sea Mining: Industrializing Earth’s Last Sacred Space, an interdisciplinary report examining the ecological, geopolitical, militarized, and Indigenous rights dimensions of deep-sea mining. The project exists within a broader ecosystem of Indigenous leaders, scientists, Pacific communities, ocean defenders, researchers, legal advocates, and grassroots movements working to protect the ocean from irreversible harm. As a result, our goal is not only to inform, but also to strengthen public understanding, elevate Indigenous perspectives often excluded from global policy conversations, and contribute tools, research, and narrative power to growing international efforts seeking stronger protections for the deep ocean.

The Challenge

Deep-sea mining is advancing faster than public understanding or scientific certainty, with no effective governance system in place. Critical decisions about the future of the ocean are being shaped through complex international processes that remain inaccessible to many communities most affected by extraction. At the same time, dominant narratives increasingly frame deep-sea mining as necessary for the “green transition,” despite significant unanswered questions about biodiversity loss, carbon disruption, cumulative ecological harm, Indigenous rights, militarization, and extractive development models. The communities with the deepest relationships to the ocean are too often excluded in these conversations. This work takes place in a challenging landscape shaped by powerful commercial interests, rapidly evolving policy, limited public awareness, and constrained resources for independent, Indigenous-led research and education.

The Opportunity

We are operating within a narrow and rapidly closing window of opportunity. Unlike many extractive industries, commercial deep-sea mining has not yet begun at scale. Decisions being made today will shape whether one of the planet’s largest and least understood ecosystems remains protected or is opened to industrial extraction for generations to come.

This moment presents a unique opportunity to build public awareness, strengthen Indigenous and community leadership, elevate emerging scientific knowledge, and ensure that policymakers and the public fully understand what is at stake before irreversible decisions are made. As governments, corporations, and international institutions accelerate efforts to advance deep-sea mining, independent education, advocacy, and movement-building have become increasingly urgent. Flexible support allows RISE to respond to rapidly evolving scientific developments, policy debates, and community needs while helping build a broad and informed movement for ocean protection and long-term stewardship.

Tracking Impact

We will track tangible outputs such as research reports produced, educational materials distributed, public presentations delivered, media engagement generated, partnerships developed, and community outreach efforts completed. We will also assess the reach and accessibility of our resources and the extent to which they contribute to public understanding of deep-sea mining and ocean protection.

At the same time, we recognize that the most meaningful outcomes of this work may not be fully captured through quantitative metrics. We will evaluate how our efforts contribute to stronger public awareness, greater visibility of Indigenous perspectives in ocean governance discussions, deeper collaboration across scientific, legal, environmental, and community networks, and a broader understanding of the connections between ocean health, biodiversity, climate resilience, cultural survival, and human well-being. Ultimately, success means helping ensure that decisions about the future of the deep ocean are informed, transparent, and grounded in precaution before irreversible harm occurs.

Our Experience

RISE Earth Initiative is a Native Hawaiian-led organization working at the intersection of ocean protection, Indigenous rights, environmental justice, and public education. Founded by Kanaka Maoli leaders concerned about growing threats to our lands, waters, and cultural traditions, RISE emerged from a belief that communities should have access to the knowledge and tools needed to participate meaningfully in decisions affecting their future.

While RISE has been largely volunteer-led since its founding, our work draws upon the collective expertise of Indigenous professionals and practitioners across law, sustainability, public health, anthropology, marine science, education, communications, and cultural stewardship. Through research, advocacy, storytelling, and community engagement, we translate complex environmental issues into accessible information, elevate Indigenous knowledge and leadership, and build connections across movements working to protect the Earth. Our deep-sea mining work reflects this broader commitment: bringing together diverse forms of knowledge to help safeguard the Ocean during a critical period when its future remains undecided.