Page 34 - IB May 2025

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DO BETTER

TIME TO WAIT FOR SCIENCE, SAYS PANG

By Aisha Azeemah Tau claimed that despite references to “science-based
decisions”, much of what’s being promoted as science comes
The Pacific must provide an international leadership role in directly from those who have stakes in the deep-sea mining
ocean protection for the benefit of the world. industry.
And that role must come despite the push by mining “There is this growing scientific consciousness around the
companies for deep-sea mining as a low-impact route to need for independent science,” Tau said.
battery metals. He noted that much of the deep
Joey Tau from the Pacific Network sea research data sent to the
on Globalisation (PANG) told Islands International Seabed Authority was
Business that the rush to mine the generated with the collaboration of
seafloor is premature and driven by mining companies.
commercial rather than scientific Tau also called for Pacific states
urgency. to look at the history of mining
“We’re at a time when the world operations in the region and
is going through a climate crisis; the grave impacts some nations
the health of our ocean is declining, continue to suffer.
biodiversity is declining,” he said. “This is not something new. Yes,
“The world needs to wait and it presents itself as a new model
understand the science. We talk of mining and extraction, but we
about belonging to this vast planet, learn from a legacy of the Pacific
this vast blue Pacific. Yet some of being the world’s testing ground,
our actions are questionable as to from nuclear testing to looking at
whether we are really giving care to the terrestrial mining cases in Papua
a place that we refer to as our large New Guinea,’’ he said.
blue ocean continent home.” “I think countries like Nauru
Tau called for the Pacific to lead should really question who stands to
the way in conversations about Joey Tau benefit from this. Because where do
deep-sea mining and not fold to those profits go?”
external pressures. PANG continues to call for a full ban on deep-sea mining,
“The Pacific has shown leadership for environmental pointing to the precedent of Papua New Guinea’s Solwara 1
protection and ocean guardianship,” he said. Project and what they describe as a lack of reliable science.
“We have demonstrated international ability to be better The project—to mine minerals on the seabed off Papua
stewards. The world has learned from us in terms of the New Guinea’s coast—failed after the Canadian exploration
UN’s SDG 14: life on the ocean - and I think we can be better company, Nautilus, was forced into bankruptcy due to rising
stewards. public opposition and apprehension.
“I think this is a great example of where we need to not Papua New Guinea lost more than US$132 million, and
follow the rest of the world. We’ve really done well in terms experts believe insufficient research and knowledge of mining
of environmental stewardship, we can look back at that. systems and impacts were major reasons for the failure to
We make reference to this large blue continent, but very convince stakeholders and the public to continue with the
often, it’s our own personal interest that makes us overlook initiative.
regionalism.”

34 Islands Business, May 2025