Coastal communities in Papua New Guinea’s New Ireland province rely on the sea for their livelihoods and culture.
But Solwara 1, a resurgent deep-sea mining project aimed at sourcing metals from the ocean floor, could threaten their way of life, community leaders and activists say.
En réaction à la décision de la Norvège d’ouvrir des zones d’activités dans les grands fonds marins en Arctic, datant du 9 janvier 2024, 523 parlementaires européens sur 616 se sont positionnés hier contre l’exploitation minière en eaux profondes.
25-JAN-2024
Unexpected #biodiversity on the ocean floor
"We should be extremely careful with potential future deep-sea mining, as these unique species carry high #extinction risk."
#Mining has proven to be devastating on land; I can't image how it'd on the seabed.
Some people in the #Norway govt say they're taking a "precautionary approach to #DeepSeaMining"; but by opening the areas for exploration, they're simply ignoring scientific advise and neglecting the precautionary principle, which requires the exercise of caution when making decisions that may adversely affect nature, natural ecosystems and global biogeochemical cycles (Kibert, 2016).
#Norway has declared all-out WAR on #biodiversity: they're now #DeepSeaMining, killing HUNDREDS of #whales, wrecking coastlines around the globe with intensive #salmon farms & shooting endangered #wolves from helicopters
Norway’s parliament has voted to allow deep-sea mining to commence in the Norwegian Sea, a move that has garnered criticism from scientists and environmentalists.
While the Norwegian government insists that it can conduct deep-sea mining in a sustainable way, critics say these activities will put marine ecosystems and biodiversity at risk.
Greenpeace: Great news! The UK Government has just signed the UN #OceanTreaty in New York. This is a big step towards protecting 30% of the world's oceans by 2030.
But there’s still more to do. The government must make it legally binding by passing it through parliament. Call on them to show leadership and pass the Treaty into law now.
"Dozens of mining industry representatives joined government negotiating teams at high-stakes United Nations talks charting the future of controversial deep-sea mining last month."
Absent an agreement on the #seabed being the common heritage of humankind, the UN mandated International Seabed Authority (ISA) has been licensing #deepseamining projects in international waters; #China has the most successful applications
Guy Standing (FT) thinks 'there is a distinct risk that we could see what would amount to the biggest resource grab in history'!
"The ocean provides a whole host of ecosystem services, from food to carbon storage. As Singh indicated, the environmental risks of mining are not yet comprehensively known. But some studies have pointed to its dangers.
In February, a paper by scientists from the University of Exeter and Greenpeace Research Laboratories warned that mining could pose a “significant risk to ocean ecosystems”. The paper focused on marine mammals, such as whales, dolphins, and porpoises. It spotlighted the impact of noise and disturbance from mining on them. The production and detection of sound is critical for the navigation and communication of marine mammals."
As the Cook Islands embraces the burgeoning industry, deep-sea mining companies are becoming part of the community’s day-to-day. Can the country avoid the mistakes of resource extraction’s past?
What an absolutely huge afternoon for #deepseamining. Brazil , Finland  and Portugal all call for a precautionary pause! That’s 21 countries calling for a ban, pause or moratorium on deep-sea mining, with all citing lack of scientific knowledge about the deep sea.
A team of #MarineBiologists and #oceanographers from the University of California, the University of British Columbia, the University of Hawaii and the South Atlantic Environmental Research Institute, has found evidence suggesting that fish such as skipjack, yellowfin tuna and bigeye have been changing their migration patterns due to climate change and have begun moving into areas where people plan to start #DeepSeaMining.
Greenpeace petition calling for.the UK government not to support deep sea mining.
"Deep sea mining is a new threat to the oceans. The deep sea is the largest untouched ecosystem on earth – but now huge machines threaten to destroy huge parts of the ocean floor, threatening this fragile habitat, marine biodiversity and the planet's resilience to climate change."
The Cook Islands appear to embrace deep-sea mining—but at what risk? (www.popsci.com)
As the Cook Islands embraces the burgeoning industry, deep-sea mining companies are becoming part of the community’s day-to-day. Can the country avoid the mistakes of resource extraction’s past?