A widespread Pacific civil society call for a global ban on deep sea mining activity has been launched.
Following a recent public consultation in the northern group and an internal policy review, the Opposition Democratic Party has come out against a ten-year moratorium on seabed mining.
The Cook Islands Opposition has objected to the most recent northern Pa Enua seabed mining consultations saying that at least one representative from their team should’ve been included to ensure there was balance.
There's growing interest from mining companies in polymetallic nodules on the seabed of the Pacific Ocean. A number of Pacific Island governments are backing exploration efforts by these companies.
The campaign against deep sea mining in the Bismarck sea by the Alliance of Solwara Warriors (ASW) still continues. Concerned citizens who make up the llaince in East New Britan and New ireland provinces, declared this is Kokopo this week.
The Cook Islands prime minister has denied that his country is gambling with ocean health by opening up for deep sea mining exploration.
Tongans are seeking answers from the government over its plans for seabed mining in the country's waters. A national consultation on seabed mining in Tonga was held by video link-up yesterday, including representatives from the five island groups.
Three species of black coral have been discovered on the seabed of the northern Pacific Ocean, an area where several countries have contracts to explore for metals including cobalt and nickel as they race to find new supplies of the key battery elements. The corals were discovered on deep se
The deep seabed in international waters beyond the Cook Islands, is also referred to as the Common Heritage of Humankind. As a sponsoring State of an area proposed for mining in the Clarion Clipperton Zone, the Cook Islands has a responsibility to protect it, just as we do our own seabed.
The deep sea is far away and hard to envision. If imagined, it seems like a cold and hostile place. However, this remote habitat is directly connected to our lives, as it forms an important part of the global carbon cycle.
