Palau, Fiji, and Samoa have announced their opposition to deep-sea mining, calling for a moratorium on the emerging industry amidst growing fears it will destroy the seafloor and damage biodiversity.
Representatives of Pacific civil society and conservation groups are calling on the New Zealand government to show regional leadership and support a moratorium on deep sea mining.
Nauru s government is being urged to halt its reported push to allow deep sea mining in international waters by 2024.
Gerard Barron, the CEO and Chairman of DeepGreen Metals, seen here at an annual session of the International Seabed Authority as a guest of a Nauru government delegation.
Photo: International Institute for Sustainable Development
A media report on Saturday claimed the Pacific Island government was intending this week to ask the International Seabed Authority (ISA) to fast-track the adoption of seabed mining regulations.
The regulations are still under consultation but Nauru s request would invoke a so-called two-year rule and compel the ISA to allow seabed mining to go ahead within two years, effectively setting a deadline for the body to finalise the mining regulations.