The Northern Territory Government of Australia has announced a temporary ban on seabed mining in its coastal waters until 2015.  ACT NOW! and the Pacific Network on Globalisation are calling on all Pacific Island Governments to follow the leadership of the NT Government and announce a similar ban in the Pacific.

“Deep sea mining is a new and untested industry with unprecedented levels of impact and risks.  But the information necessary for Pacific governments and peoples to make informed decisions on the environmental and social impacts of deep sea mining is virtually unknown at this point in time”, says Effrey Dademo, Program Manager for ACT NOW!

“A temporary ban by Pacific island governments would allow relevant agencies in the Pacific to conduct comprehensive assessment of the potential impact of experimental sea bed mining.  More importantly the ban would also allow for national consultations to determine whether experimental sea bed mining is environmentally, socially or economically appropriate long term activity”, says Maureen Penjueli, Coordinator for PANG.

Meanwhile SOPAC is being funded by the European Union to assist the fast-tracking of seabed mining in the Pacific.

“This project is in our view premature for it ignores the important fundamental question that of whether seabed mining is an appropriate and sustainable long term activity.  The project rests on a tenuous and unproven assumption that seabed mining will generate economic returns that will benefit greater Pacific community”, says Ms Dademo.

“Rather than rushing ahead with its ill conceived project SOPAC should be facilitating efforts by Pacific island states to rigorously and transparently consider whether deep sea mining is an appropriate means to achieve sustainable development goals”.