Pacific civil society wants stop to seabed mining

Transcript

Civil society organisations in the Pacific are joining a growing international call for a moratorium on mining exploration of the seafloor.

The Pacific Network on Globalisation and the Bismarck Ramu Group in Papua New Guinea are particularly worried about the rapid pace at which PNG is moving towards being the first country in the world to carry out seabed mining.

The Pacific Network on Globalisation's campaigns officer Joey Tau told Koroi Hawkins not enough is known about the potential effects of seabed mining.

JOEY TAU: Over 1.5 square kilometres of our ocean floor, in the Pacific EEZ, is currently under exploration lease holds. And so that is, as per the figure, quite an extensive area of our sea floor that is currently under exploration.

KOROI HAWKINS: The concern here though is that there is no baseline. This has never been done before and there is no understanding scientifically of what the effect of this would be.

JT: Well yea, we are labelling it experimental sea bed mining, because sea bed mining has never taken place anywhere in the world. And you know the Pacific, our ocean, our solwara, our moana nui will be the experiment for the world. We have had onshore mining in the region and they have been disastrous for us. But for mining the sea floor, it has never been taken place anywhere and we don't know the level of the extent of the impact it will have on our lives and on our people who the ocean is there main source of providing.

KH: Yes and our nearest neighbours our largest neighbours New Zealand and Australia are not allowing this activity to take place so it seems almost a no-brainer?

JT: Yes, I mean New Zealand the case for New Zealand who recently rejected two marine applications to mine their sea bed. And the Northern Territory of Australia which imposed a moratorium, which have later led to respective bans, should be precedent cases for us in the Pacific to follow. And look, say that we don't have enough information and it is better for us to put a hold or just simply impose a ban.

KH: But it is, again it's the case of our poor or low income countries, looking for forms of revenue. Is it lucrative, moneywise is it lucrative for government to be signing up or allowing these activities to go ahead?

JT: I mean that is what is being, you know that is how it is selling. It is said to help our Pacific island countries financially. But are we willing to you know, lose, you know lose other sectors like tourism, fisheries. Other sectors that have been the, that have traditionally been supporting our. Pacific economies? And are we willing to lose that and venture into an unknown area of science, just you know on the basis of its economic returns.

KH: So what is the call here? What are civil society organisations and who else in the world is against this?

JT: I mean we are joining the global call by the deep sea mining campaign and other civil societies within the region in the Pacific, especially our partners in PNG. Is to call for a moratorium on ESM, this experiment that is to take place in our oceans, is to call for a moratorium. And seek more knowledge. It is our people's concern, people need to be educated and more awareness needs to be raised with our people. On the basis of to what extent this experiment will affect the lives of our pacific people.