We applaud President Edouard Fritch and other leaders of the French Polynesia government who have joined the growing coalition of governments and government leaders calling for a deep sea mining moratorium. They join other Pacific countries calling for a moratorium including Chile, Fiji, the Federated States of Micronesia, Palau and Samoa.
“[T]he oceans are the refuge of a unique biodiversity, the allies in our fight against climate change, and a place belonging to the culture of many communities around the world.
As threats to the health of our oceans grow, including from climate change, overfishing, plastic pollution and offshore drilling, the oceans are facing a new greed: deep-sea mining. Prospective deep sea mining companies and state sponsors are racing to mine the seabed for minerals including nickel, cobalt, copper, manganese and rare earths.
Already, many scientists are alerting us to unreasonable exploitation that could lead to a loss of biodiversity and irreversible damage to the functioning of ecosystems over several generations.”
President Fritch’s full message can be found here, and the English translation here.
