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International Seabed Authority flag
photo: flickr / ISBA Headquarters
Tuvalu and other countries have joined in calling for a precautionary moratorium on deep-sea mining at the 29th International Seabed Authority (ISA) Assembly in Kingston, Jamaica.
Guatemala and Honduras also backed a precautionary pause on Wednesday, bringing to 31 the number of countries that support some kind of suspension or moratorium.
Tuvalu’s representative said the government remained cautious about seabed mining development and did not have enough scientific information to understand the “complex web of life” in the deep ocean.
“For Tuvalu, the ocean is a key element of sustainable development and the foundation of economic development. Tuvalu is concerned that any additional pressure from other anthropogenic activities will further exacerbate the existential threats facing our people,” said the government representative.
In 2022, the Tuvalu government withdrew its support for Circular Metals Ltd to conduct seabed mining in the country’s waters.
According to an article in 2022 DSM Observer(https://dsmobserver.com/2022/05/tuvalu-cancels-its-sponsorship-the-role-of-international-law/) “There is little information available about Circular Metals. However, the company is said to have “some connection to The Metals Company.”
last week, Metal Company Chief Executive Officer Gerrard Barron said: Reuters He plans to apply for a mining licence in the Clarion Clipperton Zone through Nauru this year, following the implementation of the so-called two-year rule.
Vanuatu’s Minister of Climate Change Ralph Regenvanu In a speech delivered to the ISA General Assembly earlier this weekspecifically calling on small island developing States to value the ocean rather than profits.
“I know we are sometimes at a crossroads as we think about the economic future of our country and the future survival of our cultural heritage, but we must remember that our connection to the ocean is a deep spiritual connection before any economic development,” he said.
A recent study published in the journal Nature Geoscience shows that polymetallic nodules on the seafloor of the Clarion-Clipperton Zone in the Pacific Ocean are releasing oxygen, a discovery dubbed “dark oxygen.”
“This scientific finding underscores that a moratorium or precautionary suspension of deep-sea mining is the only responsible approach,” Regenvanu said.
“We acknowledge that we don’t have enough scientific information at this time.”
Palau also called for a moratorium on the action.
President Surangel Whipps Jr said the world’s shared seabed was in danger of being destroyed and sold for huge profits, with only a few benefiting.
“This is colonialism by another name – economic imperialism, where multinational mining companies put profits ahead of the well-being of our people and ecosystems,” Whipps said.
The mining industry believes metals from the seabed will be necessary to enable electrification as the world moves away from its reliance on fossil fuels.
Pacific Islands Representatives – ISA Council 29th Session Part II.
photo: flickr / ISBA Headquarters
But Whipps argues there is enough evidence to support alternatives such as recycling and advancing land-based mining.
“Let us not rush to solve one problem and inadvertently and recklessly create another. We have been down this path before and as a result, my country and many other small island developing States are now on the front lines of climate change.”
Shiva Gounden, Greenpeace Pacific director, said Tuvalu’s announcement was “brave and historic”.
“The growing momentum against destructive deep-sea mining is undeniable,” Gooden said.
“For too long, the oceans and high seas have been plundered and exploited by profit-driven corporations at the expense of the communities whose lives and cultures are intrinsically linked to the ocean.”
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