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
Oceans
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
Organisations call for swift ratification and implementation of BBNJ Treaty
The European Union (EU) and the Organisation of African, Caribbean, and Pacific States (OACPS) are calling for a rapid ratification and implementation of the BBNJ Agreement to address the triple planetary crisis of
Pacific Islands urge global leaders to seize a ‘once-in-a-generation’ opportunity to halt the plastics crisis
Pacific Islands nations are calling on world leaders to commit to an ambitious global plastic treaty modelled along the lines of the hugely successful Montreal Protocol which tackled the issue of ozone layer depletion.
Run for your life, Fiji NDMO Director tells students
Siren sounds blared across the Suva harbour today which prompted civilians of all ages to head to higher ground. Students and teachers from six nearby schools held hands and swiftly made their way to one of the
IAEA team joined by China takes samples after Fukushima water release
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and experts from China, South Korea and Canada on Monday collected seawater samples near the crippled Fukushima nuclear complex in northeastern Japan following the release
The science we need for the ocean we want
Ocean scientists, technical experts, policymakers, donor agencies, traditional knowledge holders, and young people gathered at the Pacific Islands Conference on Ocean Science and Ocean Management in Fiji last
Here be humpbacks
Mixing business with a spot of leisure is something many of us have routinely done on work trips. From indulging in lavish beach time to celebrating a closed deal, to a quiet walk in the woods after an exhausting
FSM becomes first country to sign oceans treaty
The Federated States of Micronesia has signed a global treaty that aim to protect oceans that lie beyond national boundaries, becoming the first country in the world to do so. The new Biodiversity of Areas beyond
Careers in ocean science beckons to young Pacific women
Pacific young women are taking a greater interest in protecting our oceans for the future. At last week’s inaugural conference on ocean science and ocean management in Nadi, Fiji, Tanga Morris Jnr, 26, said that
Fukushima discharge begins
Pacific remains divided As Pacific Ocean experts gathered in Fiji in August to discuss the role of the Pacific Ocean Commission, Japan begun discharging more than one million tonnes of treated radioactive water from the
Opinion: Seabed mining rules lapse is window for Pacific regulations
In late July, after weeks of fierce debate at the International Seabed Authority (ISA) meeting in Jamaica, deep-sea mining proponents failed to get an agreement for the immediate licensing of deep sea mining operations.
Power of the sea
A technology now being tested that harnesses seawater to produce electricity could address some of the Pacific Islands’ problems with power outages. Under the Project for Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC), a
Niue, Tuvalu raise concerns over Fukushima radioactive wastewater release
The Governments of Niue and Tuvalu have raised their concerns over Japan’s release of treated radioactive wastewater from its Fukushima nuclear plant last Thursday. More than a million tons of ALPS (Advanced Liquid
Fiji marchers protest against Fukushima wastewater discharge
In an outpouring of public protest, demonstrators from diverse backgrounds took to the streets of Suva today united against Japan’s release into the ocean of treated nuclear wastewater from the Fukushima Daiichi
Pacific countries urged to take advantage of geopolitical interests to support ocean governance
The Republic of Marshall Islands national ocean policy is premised on working ‘smarter’ and not ‘harder.’ Glen Joseph, the Director of the Marshall Islands Marine Resource Authority (MIMRA) said
Vanuatu’s National Ocean Policy addresses some outstanding ocean related territorial disputes
The government of Vanuatu hopes the long-standing joint submission with Fiji and Solomon Islands to extend their outer limits of the continental shelf in the North Fiji Basin will be resolved soon. In 2009, the three
