SYDNEY, WEDNESDAY 5 JUNE — This morning on World Environment Day, ocean-lovers dressed as sea creatures have taken to iconic Bondi Beach, calling on Prime Minister Albanese to join the growing chorus of nations supporting a ban on deep sea mining.
The colourful group led by Greenpeace Australia Pacific descended on Bondi Beach, unfurling a six metre-long banner reading: ‘Hell no, Albo! Stop deep sea mining.’ A joint statement signed by 27 organisations was also published in the Sydney Morning Herald today, alongside billboards in Canberra, calling on the Australian government to support a global moratorium on the controversial new industry.
It follows an explosive investigation by the Nine Papers, which revealed former Prime Minister Scott Morrison and the international weapons industry are behind a global push to establish deep sea mining.
Deep sea mining is a highly destructive nascent industry that involves dredging, scraping and cutting the seabed for minerals. The Metals Company, headed by Australian businessman Gerard Barron, is pushing for a world’s first ever licence to mine the Pacific Ocean, which could be granted as early as July at the next International Seabed Authority (ISA) meeting.
25 nations have already said no to deep sea mining, including the UK, France and New Zealand. Greenpeace is calling on the Albanese government to exhibit leadership on the issue and support a global moratorium on deep sea mining.
Greenpeace Senior Campaigner Violette Snow said the Albanese government must stop dragging the anchor and support a moratorium on deep sea mining.
“Australia has the opportunity to protect one of the world’s last remaining wild places from companies looking to exploit the deep sea for profit — but they must do it now.
“We cannot allow profit-hungry corporations to exploit the oceans we love and depend on. Deep sea mining risks severe and irreversible environmental damage to our oceans and marine life, and that’s why we’re saying ‘Hell no, Albo!’
“This is the Prime Minister’s lighthouse beacon warning: allowing deep sea mining to go ahead would destroy the oceans and damage Australia’s global standing as a leader in ocean protection.
“The era of ocean destruction must end. Australia must join the growing chorus of international allies, including many of our Pacific neighbours, and support a global moratorium on deep sea mining now.
Tita Kara, organiser with Civil Society Forum of Tonga, said that the race to exploit the seafloor is another example of profit-hungry corporations plundering the ocean at the expense of Pacific communities.
“The Ocean is my identity, my culture, and my inheritance. Mining its depth is equivalent to ripping apart what puts me together as a Pacific Islander and an ocean dweller.
“It is crucial the Australian Government help its Pacific family to defend and protect its Ocean from foreign extractive corporations who are trying to plunder our source of livelihood and the home for our fisheries for a quick profit.”
—ENDS—
Notes to Editor:
- Images and footage from the rally, including news grabs, will be uploaded here by 1pm
- Alternative images for media can be found here
- Over two weeks last year, Greenpeace activists staged a 200-hour peaceful, at-sea protest against a deep sea mining vessel operated by The Metals Company in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone in the northern Pacific — an area identified by deep sea mining companies as rich in minerals.
- Last week, a historic verdict at the International Tribunal of the Sea (ITLOS) ruled that nation States are obliged to act on emissions and pollution to protect our marine environment.
For more information or to arrange an interview please contact Kimberley Bernard on 0407 581 404 or [email protected]