Fijian activist protests seabed mining
A FIJIAN environment activist is on the frontlines of a protest by Greenpeace International against corporations who plan to mine half a million square kilometres of seabed in the Pacific.
Victor Pickering, an activist onboard the Rainbow Warrior held up a banner which read, “Our Pacific, not yours to destroy”.
“The ocean provides food for our families and connects all of us Pacific islands from one island to another,” he said.
“I am taking action because our people, our land, are already facing the threats of extreme storms, rising sea levels, plastic pollution and industrially depleted fish populations.
“I cannot stay silent and watch another threat – deep-sea mining – take away our future.”
Greenpeace stated many Pacific civil society groups, churches, traditional leaders and grassroot activists were “vehemently opposed to deep-sea mining and have been making their resistance known for a long time.”
The environment activist group stated Pacific island states, including Fiji, Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu, had voiced their rejection of this extractive activity for posing a threat to the environment.
“Governments must agree on a Global Ocean Treaty in 2021 that puts protection at the heart of global ocean governance instead of exploitation,” said Dr Sandra Schoettner, a deep-sea biologist and oceans campaigner with Greenpeace.
“The more we disrupt the seabed, the more we put ourselves at risk, especially the Pacific island communities who depend on healthy oceans.”