随着巴布亚新几内亚政府授予了20年的铜和黄金开采许可,在海面以上1.5英里以上,成为世界上第一个商业深海开采企业,这是一项有争议的海底采矿企业的动力。加拿大矿业公司Nautilus Materials计划在新英国海岸挖掘水热通风孔,这使当地活动家,渔夫和环保主义者的不满,他们认为这是对当地生态学的威胁。
The mining operation is after high-grade gold and copper ore deposits that are expected to net between $1 to 2.5 billion. The project dubbed Solwara 1, is not without controversy. Although Nautilus Minerals is pledging to hire 70% of the workforce locally, the PNG government has pledged $25 million for infrastructure projects along with a 30% stake in operations stirring up claims of conflict of interest.
Activists are concerned about the long-term impact this may have, especially since little is known about hydrothermal vents along with the possible pollution the mining will cause in the deep sea along with surrounding water and wildlife along with the local communities.
“此时,当地社区尚未批准该项目。我们不能依靠我们的政府或像Nautilus这样的公司告诉我们,海底采矿是好的,是安全的。”最近在新闻稿中说。“没有人知道这种采矿形式的影响。在海上开采实验中,我们被我们用作豚鼠。”
Although the license has been granted, mining is facing a delay as Nautilus Minerals and the PNG government are currently in court in a commercial dispute. Nautilus has been granted exploration rights for 108,000 square kilometers of Papua New Guinea’s ocean so far.
We are hoping to see things work out best especially around a government that has seen a few controversies. We recent just saw how controversies grew from thePNG vs. EcoEZ Seasmartfallout but have led to an incredible amount of accountability and the beginning of a sustainable and ecologically conscious export business throughEcoaquariums png并希望这可以引导同样的道路。由于PNG能够以一种有趣的自然资源的形式Lightning Maroon Clownfish, we are hoping to see less controversy and more accountability and sustainable practices take hold.
我们确信撷取apart the sea floor will not have positive ecological impacts but as a struggling nation looks for ways to manage its natural resources for the good of the entire population, we hope they come into a more sustainable way to approach undersea mining that will bring much needed income and jobs for the people of PNG.
[通过Mongabay]