Koror, Palau – Palau President Surangel Whipps Jr. renewed calls for a moratorium on deep-sea mining at the Our Ocean Conference held last week in Greece.
During a side event, Whipps Jr. emphasized the urgency of the issue, stating that deep-sea mining poses a significant threat to deep-sea ecosystems and could cause irreversible damage.
The upcoming annual assembly of the International Seabed Authority, the regulatory body affiliated with the United Nations, is seen by Whipps as a critical opportunity to discuss and potentially enact a moratorium on deep-sea mining activities.
Palau received backing from Costa Rica, France, Spain, Vanuatu, Chile, Germany, Ireland, and Brazil at the Our Ocean Conference. These countries all voiced their support for a pause on deep-sea mining and urged other nations to join the effort before the ocean suffers irreparable harm.
Whipps previously advocated for a halt on mining operations until there is a clearer understanding of the potential consequences of disrupting the deep-sea environment.
“We all have to make sacrifices and come together as nations to achieve the greater good for our planet and our people. We know that deep-sea mining compromises the integrity of our ocean habitat that supports marine biodiversity and contributes to mitigating the impacts of climate change,” he said at the UN event in 2022.