Why Deep-Sea Mining Is the Next Battleground in the Energy Transition

“Do not tell me to ignore the potential for promoting the green transition by not exploring these much-needed minerals for the green revolution that sit in my ocean,” Mark Brown, the prime minister of the Cook Islands, said at a U.N. climate conference last year. He referred to claims of environmental concern from countries that destroyed the planet “through decades of profit-driven development” as “patronizing.”

Mr. Barron of the Metals Company, who was in Jamaica for the I.S.A. meetings this week, pointed out that even some of the countries calling for a moratorium have exploration licenses, which allow them to experiment with mining on a small scale for research purposes. He believes representatives are deciding not whether deep-sea mining can begin, but when. “That horse has bolted,” he said. — Ephrat Livni

HERE’S WHAT’S HAPPENING

Lina Khan’s bumpy week. The head of the F.T.C. lost a bid to block Microsoft’s $70 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard, opened the first big investigation into OpenAI over ChatGPT’s privacy and security practices, and was grilled by a Republican-led congressional committee over her approach at the agency. The F.T.C. lost its appeal of the Microsoft ruling.

Hollywood shut down. Actors voted to go on strike for the first time in 43 years, joining screenwriters who had already taken industrial action. Unions say they want better wages, higher fees from streaming services and protections to deal with new technological threats, such as artificial intelligence. Studio bosses say the demands are unrealistic at a time when the entire industry is being disrupted.

The details behind the PGA Tour-LIV Golf talks. A Senate hearing into a potential deal between the rival golf competitions revealed new details about the talks: the agreement was announced before it was done; the PGA Tour didn’t have the resources to fight off the Saudi-backed LIV indefinitely; and governance is going to be a crucial part of any final deal.

Meeting over at Shopify. The Canadian e-commerce company embedded a calculator in employees’ calendar apps that measures the financial cost of meetings with three or more people. It’s the company’s latest effort to stop pointless gatherings. It had previously canceled all recurring meetings of more than two people.

Tech stock dominance, by the numbers

The great tech stock rally shows no signs of slowing, with the Nasdaq composite hitting a 15-month high this week. One reason: Wall Street is betting that an improving inflation outlook, underscored by Wednesday’s Consumer Price Index, will compel the Federal Reserve to pivot to a more dovish rates policy, which tends to lift tech stocks.