Pacific Island nations are being caught up in the global push for renewable forms of energy.
The minerals companies need to make batteries for the likes of electric cars and renewable power grids are in rich supply under islands like Fiji and New Caledonia.
And while these nations stand to gain financially from enabling extraction, the environmental consequences can be severe.
Nick Bainton is an Associate Professor in the school of Regulation and Global Governance at the Australian National University in Brisbane.
He joins Todd Zaner.
Gold panning on the fringe of Bougainville's Panguna mine, decades after it was closed for large scale mining. Photo: Johnny Blades / RNZ Pacific
