Greenpeace activists dressed up as (left to right) Thanos, Darth Vader and Dr Evil during the Deep Sea Mining Conference at the Marriott Canary Wharf hotel in London
[Jack Taylor Gotch/Greenpeace] 
CLIMATE protesters disrupted a deep-sea mining conference today while dressed as fictional villains including Darth Vader.
Environmental campaign group Greenpeace organised the action at the Marriott Hotel in Canary Wharf, east London.
Actors dressed as Darth Vader from the Star Wars films, Dr Evil from the Austin Powers films and comic book villain Thanos to draw the public attention to how deep-sea mining “poses untold threats to our already plundered oceans.”
They took to the stage of the conference and delivered mock speeches of support for deep-sea mining, praising its destructive effects.
The government has already granted firms licences to explore for such mining opportunities.
Greenpeace UK oceans campaigner Andrew Tobert said: “We have explored just 1 per cent of the deep sea, on each visit discovering fascinating species found nowhere else on Earth. It’s one of our last untouched ecosystems.
“But it would be stripped bare by deep-sea mining, causing irreversible damage to marine life. There’s no way it can be done sustainably.”
