What if we could go back in time to prevent an environmentally destructive industrial project? What if we could prevent damage to communities, violations of their rights, loss of systems essential to life and wildlife? If governments knew about the threats a new extractive industry posed to people and the planet, would they allow it to continue?
These are the questions states will face in the coming weeks at the International Seabed Authority (ISAF) council, which is set to decide the fate of the deep-sea mining industry. As a Pacific indigenous person who has spent his life advocating for the protection of the planet, these questions are deeply personal to me.
In the sights of the mining industry, deep, remote and untouched regions of the ocean will be targeted for profit. Giant machines, similar to tanks and weighing more than a blue whale, would be deployed to dredge and extract the mineral deposits present on the ocean floor. Minerals and metals previously mined on land.
As concern grows over a new threat to the oceans, many governments have voiced their opposition to deep sea mining. Earlier this week, Canada announced its support for a moratorium in international waters, becoming the eighteenth ISA member state to vote for a precautionary pause, moratorium or outright ban. and simple from the mining industry.
But mining companies are determined to move forward. Industry has its sights set on polymetallic nodules, potato-sized deposits containing minerals and metals — such as copper, nickel, cobalt and manganese — used in electronics. The main targeted operating area is in the Pacific, in the Clarion-Clipperton fracture zone, between Hawaii and the Mexican coast.
If we know very little about the deep seabed, we know that this region is home to thousands of species that are found nowhere else on earth and have only been discovered in recent years. Deep-sea mining could destroy the habitat of these species, which took millions of years to form, and irreparably damage fragile and unique ecosystems, both indoors and outdoors. mining sites.
In addition to the considerable ecological importance of this region, it is also of great cultural significance to the indigenous peoples of the Pacific.
Being an indigenous person from Fiji myself, I know that the values and belief systems of indigenous Pacific peoples are based on respect for nature and life in all its forms. Our way of life is structured around the principle of coexistence. That’s what I want to defend. From tuna overfishing to nuclear testing, I have seen all too often how humans attempt to dominate nature in the name of progress, development and growth regardless of the consequences. It is becoming urgent to rectify the situation.
What is at stake here are the rights and traditional knowledge, as well as the livelihoods of Pacific communities. At present, governments have the option of not just assessing the issue from the angle of the potential profits generated by mining, but of considering what cannot be monetized: the protection of culture and way of life of the peoples of the Pacific.
Deep-sea mining is said to be a new manifestation of neo-colonialism — a handful of Western-based companies profiting from the resources at the expense of the livelihoods and food security of Pacific communities.
Indigenous leaders representing 56 groups from 34 countries, including Canada, have publicly called for a total ban on the industry. This call has been joined by investors and industrial companies, as well as hundreds of scientists, while a growing movement of supporters has also expressed its opposition to the continuation of mining activities at sea.
The federal government is committed to supporting conservation actions led by Indigenous peoples and respecting their rights. If Canada did the right thing by supporting a moratorium, now it must continue to follow its moral compass by standing with the peoples of the Pacific and encouraging other states to do the same to help end the era of ocean destruction.