A PACIFIC church leader has warned that deep-sea mining would violate the region’s cultural and spiritual ties to the ocean, arguing that it should be subject to a moratorium or precautionary pause.
General Secretary of the Pacific Conference of Churches (PCC), Reverend James Bhagwan, said the issue was not just technical or economic, but one of ethics, justice and stewardship.
His message came after the Pacific Civil Society was excluded from the Dialogue between the International Seabed Authority (ISA) and the Fiji Government.
“Deep sea mining is not only a technical, scientific or economic question, it is a question of ethical leadership of ocean guardianship, justice and spiritual responsibility for Pacific peoples,” Bhagwan said.
His address drew a direct line between ocean protection and Pacific identity.
“There is nothing sustainable about deep-sea mining when it violates our cultural and spiritual connection to the ocean,” he said.
“The ocean is not an empty space. It is not simply a resource. It is our common home, our provider, our ancestor, our climate regulator and part of God’s creation.”
Bhagwan said mining the seabed would damage systems that Pacific communities depended on and that future generations will inherit.
“To mine the ocean is to wound the life system that holds our peoples, our islands and our future generations together.”
His remarks also criticised the language used by some proponents of the ocean mining projects.
“The PCC has consistently warned that extractive industries too often use the language of sustainability while serving profit-driven interests.”
Calling for a pause on the industry, Bhagwan said: “A moratorium, or at the very least a precautionary pause, is the only sensible way forward for our Oceania region for our Pacific because we can’t mine what we don’t understand, we can’t call destruction development, and we can’t call extraction stewardship.”
“An ocean of peace cannot be mined into existence.”
