Cook Islands PM urges Pacific unity on deep-sea mining as leaders gear up for crucial talks
Cook Islands Prime Minister and former chair of the Forum, Mark Brown is urging Pacific Island leaders to come together on a collective stance on deep-sea mining, ahead of a key talanoa session set for next month. The
Forum island nations prepare for global oceans conference
As the oceans face devastating change from climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution, Pacific governments are preparing for the Third United Nations Ocean Conference, to be held in France in June
French Special Envoy urges Pacific preparation for UN Ocean conference
An international conference about ocean protection is incomplete without the voices of the Pacific region, says Olivier Poivre d’Arvor, Ambassador in charge of Poles and Maritime issues, Special Envoy of the French
Opinion: Small-Scale Fishers facing Large-Scale Challenges at WTO
A decision whether to conclude negotiations that prohibit subsidies that contribute to overfishing and overcapacity is happening next week at the World Trade Organisation (WTO). The WTO General Council meeting follows
Green Climate Fund approves US$23.92 million for Tonga Coastal Resilience Project
The Green Climate Fund (GCF) Board has approved a US$22.66 million grant for Tonga’s Coastal Resilience Project, supplemented by US$1.2 million in co-financing from the Government of Tonga and US$63,000 from the UN
Pacific nations stand firm on fisheries and oceans protection
For Pacific Island nations, marine conservation and sustainable fisheries management are crucial because the health of ocean resources deeply influences their economies and livelihoods. In recent times, contrasting
Opinion: Most plastics are made from fossil fuels and end up in the ocean, but marine microbes can’t degrade them
Marine plastic pollution is a massive environmental issue, with a plastic smog of an estimated 170 trillion particles afloat in the world’s oceans. This highlights how urgently we need to develop strategies to
Opinion: Private sector can play a vital role in tackling plastic tsunami
The Pacific Islands, among the most picturesque yet vulnerable regions in the world, are facing an escalating crisis: plastic pollution. The initiation of a global plastics treaty, underpinned by initiatives such as the
Marine species disappear amid dredging works
As dredging works moved downstream in the Sigatoka River, Kulukukulu Village headman Christopher Herbert Work watched as the machines heading towards them dug up the river and spewed out sand and gravel to the
Opinion: Communities worry anew as PNG revives seabed mining plans
Chris Malgan sits in his outrigger canoe, singing and shaking a ring of coconut shells in the water next to the boat. The inky skies backdropping the reef portend a late-morning storm that will bring a deluge of rain
UN nuclear chief tells Japan transparency is ‘very important’ in ruined nuclear plant’s discharges
The head of the UN atomic agency on Tuesday emphasised to Japan’s government the importance of transparency in its ongoing discharges of treated radioactive wastewater at the ruined Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power
$10 million project aims to reduce single-use plastics in Cook Islands
A project to reduce the number of plastics entering the country, focused on the food and beverage sector, was discussed during a workshop in Rarotonga last week. Like other countries around the world, the Cook Islands
Regional tuna expert sounds caution in developing seabed mining
Leading Pacific tuna industry expert, Dr Transform Aqorau, has drawn from the region’s experiences with its massive tuna fisheries industry to sound caution in the development of the “next frontier” of deep seabed
Cook Islands Parliament makes changes to seabed mining law
The Cook Islands has made amendments to its Seabed Minerals Act this week, including replacing the term “mining” with “minerals harvesting … to reflect the actual activity that takes
Opinion: Science says Tuvalu will drown within decades; the reality is worse
Tuvalu, a picturesque island nation nestled in the vast expanse of the Pacific Ocean, is currently grappling with a relentless onslaught of storm surges and towering waves, wreaking havoc on coastal communities. While
Huge rogue waves smash into remote U.S. military base in Pacific
“Gigantic” waves swamped parts of a key U.S. military facility in the middle of the Pacific Ocean last weekend, causing damage that will take months to repair, according to a U.S. Army report. A video posted on X
Palau ratifies UN Ocean Treaty
Palau on Monday became the first nation to officially ratify the UN Ocean Treaty. “As the first country to officially ratify the UN Ocean Treaty, Palau has jumped into the lead in the race to ratification,” said
U.S. political support for deep-sea mining growing despite pushback from allies
A report in the Wall Street Journal says U.S. political support for deep-sea mining has taken on a new urgency as Norway this week became the first country to legalise extraction of minerals from the ocean bottom
Palau senate expresses disapproval of Japan’s plan to release treated radioactive water
The Senate of the Republic of Palau has passed a joint resolution expressing disapproval of Japan’s decision to release over a million tons of contaminated water from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the
Sovereign rights not enough, regional cooperation needed for deep-sea mining: TIS
There needs to be a regional approach to deep-sea mining, as opposed to relying solely on the sovereign rights of individual nations, given the transboundary risks such activities can pose to the Pacific Ocean, says a
Fukushima nuclear plant starts 3rd release of treated radioactive wastewater into the sea
The tsunami-damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant began its third release of treated and diluted radioactive wastewater into the sea Thursday after Japanese officials said the two earlier releases ended
Fukushima water released without technical concerns, IAEA says
Japan’s release of treated radioactive water from the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant into the sea is “progressing as planned and without any technical concerns,” the UN nuclear watchdog has said. The