Jason Momoa's environmental documentary, Deep Rising, and has partnered with creative agency Emotive for a global campaign to address the potential ecological catastrophe threatened by deep seabed mining.

As part of the initiative, Emotive has unveiled a mural by iconic Australian artist and musician Reg Mombassa and Apparition Media in a callout to unite the marketing industry behind the campaign, with the goal of raising $5 million in support of the campaign, which is due to launch in June.

The campaign is spearheaded by Laura Clarke, co-founder of Palau Pledge, who is 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," said Clarke.

The Deep Rising documentary premiered at Sundance in 2023 and has since sparked a global citizen-led impact campaign to oppose mining the deep seabed. Emotive and Deep Rising are now asking the marketing industry to donate media to the Deep Rising campaign launching in June, with a target of $5m of donated global media.

The deep sea accounts for more than 95% of the earth’s biosphere and is deemed the “common heritage of humankind” according to UN law. However, companies with ties to fossil fuels are working to destabilise these regulations and open the door to mining for personal profit and corporate gain. The International Seabed Authority (ISA), 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.

Mattheiu Rytz, Director and Producer of Deep Rising said that humans don't need the rare metals that are mined 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."

"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," said Simon Joyce, CEO, Emotive.

Reg Mombassa, the artist behind the Deep Rising Mural, shared his scepticism of big business and its impact on the natural world. "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 Emotive.