Deep sea mining operations could cause immense destruction to ocean ecosystems and the people who depend on them. This is probably the reason that the Canadian mining firm Nautilus Minerals chose Papua New Guinea for a hazardous experiment into deep sea gold mining.
Papua New Guinea can’t afford to monitor or regulate this. Basically, Nautilus is free to do what it likes with little regard for the consequences. Local people whose livelihoods are at risk and environmentalists have objected furiously to the plans.
Nautilus intends to extract gold and copper a mile below the surface, beginning with the destruction of hydrothermal vents. The full environmental impact of these operations is unknown, but even the best case scenario would involve the wholesale destruction of unique ecosystems.
Ask the Papua New Guinean government to stand up to foreign commercial interests and refuse to allow deep sea mining to begin until there is a much better understanding of the potential impact.
We the undersigned ask that you not allow the Canadian mining company Nautilus Minerals to begin a commercial deep sea mining project, the first of its kind, in your waters until there is a much better understanding of what the impact might be.
The environmental impact could be disastrous, which would have an immediate and devastating impact on the lives whose people depends upon fishing.
We ask that you put the needs of Papua New Guinea’s people, environment and natural resources ahead of the interests of foreign mining companies and put a stop to these plans until a full and objective impact assessment has been carried out. Papua New Guinea is not a laboratory and should not be used as the site for what could be an extremely hazardous experiment.
Thank you for your attention
