Environmental campaigners have long argued that seabed mining will be hugely destructive to deep sea ecosystems. Leakages, spills and pollution from chemicals used to extract ore could all cause irreversible damage to the oceans surrounding the mine site.
However, a Canadian mining company, Nautilus Minerals, has finalised an agreement with Papua New Guinea to start deep sea mining in its coastal waters. It will be the first time in the world that ore will be extracted from the ocean floor.
The controversial project aims to break up the top layer of the seabed at a depth of 1,500 metres so that the ore can be pumped to the surface as slurry. However, environmental campaigners say mining the ocean floor could prove devastating, causing lasting damage to marine life as well as to the health and livelihoods of the people of Papua New Guinea.
Oceans, sealife and the future generations need protecting. Please sign the petition to ask the government of Papua New Guinea to protect its oceans from seabed mining.
Please share this petition widely and on all media sites. So far, 19 licenses have been issued by the International Seabed Authority, the body policing this emerging industry.
